Struck Down But Not Destroyed
by Jacen200015
Summary: This is an AU where Anakin and ObiWan dissapear a few months before ROTS and then reapear about 18 years later only to find that the darkness had fallen over the galaxy. However, there is still hope...
1. Prologue

**This is GWN: Breaking News Update**

Two pictures appeared on the viewscreen, blocking the news reporter's face.

"After two months of searching by the Jedi and Republic Intelligence there have been no clues as to the whereabouts of Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi, who had vanished while enroute Karus V two months and three weeks ago. Yesterday the Jedi Council had officially declared Skywalker and Kenobi to be dead."

The pictures took up the whole veiwscreen and then a few second later they were taken off and the news reporter was visible again.

The reporter's voice was stiff and unemotional as he spoke. In the life of a reporter, one must not let their personal feelings be shown while speaking to the public. The only part of his features that betrayed him was the reporter's wide, double lidded, gray eyes. "The Team, as they were known will not be forgotten. Their heroic deeds will be remembered and their names will not be forgotten. It is a sad day for the Republic, to lose two great men is a devastating blow."

The reporter looked down on the table in front of him at his notes, trying to keep the tears at bay. Taking a deep breath, the reporter looked up and continued. "Chancellor Palpatine, who was unable to make the announcement himself today due to the war, has prerecorded a few words for us.

Palpatine's voice began to play after the reporter hit a button on the table and a picture of Palpatine appeared on the viewscreen. "People of the Republic, my friends, I, along with all of you am saddened by the loss of Jedi Skywalker and Jedi Kenobi. They were fine Jedi, wholly dedicated to the Republic and Jedi Order. They will be greatly missed. Their deaths will not have been in vain my friends. No, their deaths will make us stronger and will help us end this devastating war with the Separatists. Only an hour after the Jedi Council confirmed that Skywalker and Kenobi are dead, a Jedi team found the body of Count Dooku, the leader, now former leader, of the Separatists. Do not fear my friends, the war is nearing its end."

There was a click and the reporter, along with another reporter came into view. The second reporter gave the first reporter a nod. "Thank you Yuruun Kui for the update," He said and shifted a few papers in his hands, and then looked up. "Now it's time for a sports update. Yesterday the Ulglas Team scored…..


	2. Chapter 1

**18 years later:**

Mara silently slipped through the darkened corridors and went by unnoticed by the night watch. She wore a black cloak with a black hood to hide her flaming red hair. She blended in perfectly. Smiling she removed a small round object and placed it onto a lock of one of the many rooms and a second later the door soundlessly opened and Mara slipped inside the room. Removing the device from the lock, the door closed without the slightest hiss.

The room was dark except for a small source of light that slipped underneath one of the doors in the quarters. Smiling in anticipation, Mara headed for the door, taking care not to bump into or trip on anything. Using the device on the door, she quickly moved out of sight until she was sure that it was safe to proceed.

When Mara entered the room, she saw a droid that was standing in the corner powered down and in recharge mode. Pleased that an obstacle was already out of the way she continued toward an open door. The next room was a small office area and her target was slumped on the desk, her head laying on one hand while the other clutched a datapad that was still on while its owner quietly snoring away.

Arching a delicate red eyebrow, Mara scanned the contents on the desk and saw that there were several reports waiting to be signed and fifteen unread holomesseges blinking from Mara's target's built in communication device. A half cup of coffee sat forgotten on the desk, and clutched in Mara's target's hand was a datapad that had been getting read.

Walking around the desk and behind her target, Mara lifted part of her cloak with one hand and withdrew a blaster. After Mara checked the setting on the blaster, she pointed it within inches of her target's neck. "You should fire your security guards. Getting in here was pathetically easy." When no response came from her target, Mara frowned and pressed the cold muzzle of the blaster into her target's neck.

Her target woke up with a startled shriek and whipped around, knocking Mara's blaster from her hands. Mara backed up against the wall and waited.

Furious brown eyes glared at Mara as her target recognized who her unknown assailant was. "What in the nine Correlian hells do you think you were doing Mara!" Her target snapped at her.

Mara pushed her hood off of her head and smiled. "I think you have been spending way to much time with that Correlian, Leia."

Leia stood up and flung the datapad at Mara.

Catching the datapad before it could hit her, Mara glanced at the data for a moment before pressing a button on it to turn it off and handing it back to Leia. "This is not bedtime reading."

Grabbing the datapad from Mara's hand, Leia tossed it onto the desk and put her hands on her hips, a sour expression on her face. "You better have a good reason for waking me up like that."

"What? I can't show off my skills?" Mara asked, mock hurt in her voice.

"Stuff it Mara!" Leia shouted, clearly not in the mood for Mara's games.

Mara sighed and her face became serious. "Okay, I'll give you several good reasons. Number one, you're overburdened with work. Number two, you have been not been getting enough sleep because of this work you have to deal with. Number three, a bed is so much more comfortable than a desk. number four, I also have reason to believe that you have not been eating properly, and number five, you told me to report to you as soon as I completed my mission and got back to base."

Leia turned back to her desk and sat down in her seat. "Very well. How did your mission go?"

Annoyed, Mara stomped over to her blaster, picked it up and hooked it back on her belt before facing Leia. "I think you missed the point Leia. You need to go to bed, the work can wait unto you have gotten adequate rest and have eaten something other then ration bars and drinking something other then coffee. Until then you won't be getting any mission report from me." With that said, Mara began to walk from the room.

"I want your mission report now!" Leia demanded. "The rebellion's next move will be determined by the result of your mission."

"Then I will report to Mon Mothma in the morning. At least she has sense to get a decent amount of sleep." Mara retorted, exiting the room.

Leia stormed after Mara and halted in the living area when she saw that the lights were on and Mara was sitting on the couch.

Mara removed her cloak and placed it on the seat next to her and then removed her belt and laid it on the coffee table.

"What are you doing?" Leia asked, as Mara took one item off her belt and press a small knob.

"Making sure you get some sleep." Mara casually responded as the door that led to Leia's office was shut and locked. "Don't think about trying to deactivate it. I have the remote that will disengage the lock and if you try to remove the jamming device from the lock then you with melt the circuitry and you will have to send for someone to cut the door open." Slipping the remote in a small pocket of her tunic, Mara then went to take her boots off.

Red faced, Leia watched as Mara made herself comfortable on the couch by using her cloak as a blanket and taking the pillow, used more for decoration purposes, to lay her head on. "Fine then!" She snapped and headed for her bedroom, not bothering to turn the living area's lights off."

Once the bedroom door closed behind Leia, Mara got up to go turn off the lights. "Good night Leia." She called, satisfaction in her voice.

Leia turned the lights on in her bedroom and got ready for bed. By the time she was in her nightgown and sitting on her bed her anger had drained away and her adrenaline fell, leaving her incredibly tired. Tucking her feet under the cool covers, Leia laid down on the plump pillow and felt herself beg to relax a little.

Looking toward her nightstand, Leia picked up a picture in a picture frame and looked at it. Her mother's smile brought a small smile to Leia's face. Tears formed in her eyes as she examined her mother's features. "I miss you mom." Leia whispered. "I miss you so much. I wish you were still here."

Leia placed the picture of her mother back on the nightstand, Leia picked up the picture beside it. The picture was taken eight years ago. She was standing beside Luke, her twin brother, and the background showed a beautiful pink, orange, and purple, sunrise. Luke had his arm wrapped around Leia's shoulders and they were both smiling at their mother who was taking the picture. More tears fell from Leia's eyes as she remembered the terrible day, not long after the picture was taken when her brother was killed. It had been so unexpected, so sudden, so painful.

Putting the picture back, Leia picked up the last picture off of the nightstand and looked at the smiling faces. It was a picture taken of her mom, her brother, and herself ten years ago. The only person who was missing from the picture was her father. The father that she never knew, the father she only heard about from her mother's stories, the father who died never knowing that he was going to be a father. Her brother was the next person in her family to die, and then it was her mother.

Leia laid the picture on her chest and wrapped her arms around it, hugging it tightly against herself. Soon Leia drifted off into a deep slumber and did not awaken to the sound of someone entering her room, placing the picture back on the nightstand, tucking the covers around her, and kissing her on the cheek.

The person turned off the light and entered the living area. "She's asleep."

Mara nodded her head has she sat against the couch, her eyes closed. "I know." Opening her eyes, Mara looked at the Correlian who was leaning against the wall beside the bedroom door. "She is not well, Han. You need to get her away from all of this for awhile, or at the very least get assigned a position that will keep you near her."

Han looked at the bedroom door where his love slept and nodded in agreement. "I agree with you," he paused for a few seconds before continuing. "I thought she was getting better."

"So did I." Mara admitted. "She did a good job at pretending to be getting better. She had everyone fooled." Her gaze was piercing as she looked at Han. "Don't you go starting to blame yourself Solo!"

Han was about to object, but wisely kept his mouth shut. She was right even though he hated to admit it. "I need to go finish unloading the cargo and get some paperwork filled out. Are you staying here the whole night?"

"Yes." Mara replied."

Han nodded and stepped away from the wall. "I'll be back in the morning."

Mara watched Han leave and then turned off the lights and settled down on the couch. It had been a long day.


	3. Chapter 2

Anakin sat meditating in the middle of the ship's lounge, stretching his awareness through the galaxy that they knew. They were coming home. Excitement swept through him at the thought of seeing Padme again, it had been so long. Negative thoughts came with the positives, threatening to darken Anakin's mood. What if Padme thought he was dead? Well he had disappeared for eighteen years. Did she marry someone else? Is she still a Senator? Is she even alive? What happened to our galaxy in the past eighteen years? Did we win the war? Or did we lose? Was the Sith Lord found? Was Dooku destroyed?

"Anakin." Obi-Wan called from the cockpit, "Go check the null quantum field generator. The red light is on again."

"Again?" Anakin asked in annoyance. "I just fixed it!" He exclaimed as he got up to grab the toolkit.

Obi-Wan ran a hand through his graying hair as he watched the stars fly past. "Just be glad that we have a ship." Obi-Wan called back.

Rolling his eyes, Anakin went to make some adjustments to the generator. Fifteen minutes later Anakin walked into the cockpit and plopped himself into the copilot's chair. "This ship is in serious need of an overhaul."

"Well we still have fourteen more hours to go until we reach Coruscant, she's got us this far already." Obi-Wan commented. "Only fourteen more hours and we'll finally be home." Obi-Wan repeated mostly to himself.

"How much do you think things have changed?" Anakin asked, looking at Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan shrugged his shoulders. "Eighteen years is a long time Anakin."

Anakin sighed and looked out of the veiwport. "It is going to be strange to be back, to see so many changes. I hope…" He paused, the ache returning in his heart. "What if Padme remarried, Master? Or she's dead? I don't know if I'll be able to handle that."

Looking at Anakin, Obi-Wan smiled. "You can handle it Anakin. You have grown and matured a lot in many ways these past eighteen years. I'm not saying the changes you and I will no doubt face is going to be easy to handle, but I know that you will be able to adjust to the changes."

Nodding, Anakin checked the readings on the console to make sure the generator was still functioning properly. "Everything is running normally, Master. Why don't you go to bed? I'll keep watch over the readings for a couple of hours."

Obi-Wan stood up and laid a hand on Anakin's shoulder. "Don't dwell to much on what may have happened since the last time we were in our galaxy, Anakin. It is not healthy." With that said, Obi-Wan left the cockpit.

Anakin turned in his chair and watched his Master limp to his cabin. Anakin frowned in concern as he saw his master favoring his left leg again. The injuries that Obi-Wan had suffered when they had fought Vergere had not been serious, but every so often Obi-Wan's right leg would fail him. Pressing his lips tightly together, Anakin turned around to work on repairing the communications device that repeatedly died every time they had attempted to send a message to the Temple. He would not let thoughts of Vergere's treachery make him angry, to hate Vergere would mean that Vergere would win even though she is dead.

* * *

Leia's eyes slowly blinked open as her eyes adjusted to the low light of the room and she became aware of her surroundings,"

"Good morning, sweetheart." Han said as soon as he saw that she was awake.

A smile appeared on Leia's face as she turned over on to her other side where Han was sitting on a chair near her bed. "Han."

Han kissed her on the lips before she could continue and then pulled away. "Missed me?" He asked with his infamous grin.

"Nerf." Leia responded and sat up. "When did you get back?"

"Oh, around o-three hundred." Han got up from his chair to sit on the bed and Leia cuddled up next to him. "A little earlier then I had anticipated." Han wrapped his arm around Leia and held her close. "But I don't mind. Now why don't we go eat breakfast? Mara is cooking something up."

Leia wrinkled her nose and moved away from Han. "Perhaps you better go make sure she doesn't ruin breakfast while I go get washed up." She headed into the refresher and then poked her head out a few seconds later. "Han, I don't see you moving."

Chuckling, Han stood and headed for the door. "As you wish your worshipfulness."

Leia rolled her eyes and shut the fresher door. "Nerfherder." Forty-five minutes later Leia exited her bedroom to find Mara and Han sitting at the kitchen table waiting for her. On the table was a bowl of scrambled eggs, a plate of sausage, toasted bread, butter and jam.

As Leia sat down beside Han, she saw that her plate had already been filled up. She sent a silent glare at Mara, but was ignored as Mara dug into her own plate of food.

It was a quite breakfast and once they were done Mara began to clean up and Leia and Han went to go sit on the couch in the living area.

As soon as they were sitting comfortably together on the couch, Han broke the silence. "What are you thinking about Leia?"

Leia lifted her head from Han's arm, a smile on her lips. "I'm thinking about a lot of things. Right now I'm thinking of how glad I am that your back. I missed you."

"Perhaps you should go with me next time." Han suggested.

Laying her head back on Han's arm and closed her eyes. "I can't, I have a lot of work that needs to be done. I'm already behind."

"Then why don't you hire someone to help you? Then we can spend more time together." Han suggested.

"We're at war Han, we don't have the luxury of that time."

Han moved his arm so that Leia could rest her head against his side and he wrapped his arm around her. "There have been no battles for five months so far. We should take this opportunity to be together while it lasts. In fact, Lando has a little place he owns on a planet not to far from here. I am sure he will let us use it, for free, for about a week or so."

"But I have so much to do." Leia protested even though the idea sounded appealing.

"Let someone else do it for a while." Han replied, kissing her on the lips. "You deserve a vacation and I could use one myself too."

Leia looked up into Han's eyes and then slowly nodded her head. "Okay, but it will take a while to find someone to take over for me for a week."

Han smiled and kissed her again. "I am sure that you will be able to find someone."


	4. Chapter 3

_Darkness shrouds the galaxy, its claws sunk into every planet and star. Where there was light there are only tiny flickers here and there. None of these flickers of light bother the darkness, in fact they were ignored. The darkness had become overconfident in its abilities, in its power, soon it would be time to strike. The pirate raids were very convincing. The empire has no idea that they were rebels in disguise. The galaxy is so dark, will the light ever burn like it did in the golden age of the Republic? With Jedi to defend the galaxy from the darkness? Are we helpless without the Jedi? One Jedi against two Sith is not good odds. I am not ready. I am determined to be ready, but I fear that I will fail. Fear. I must not fear, Master Yoda said that that is the path to the Darkside. I must remember his teachings. There is no try, there is do or do not. However, what good will it do the galaxy if I die while doing? I do not like this burden, it is to much, but I will be strong. Strong for the Alliance, strong for my friends, strong for those who are no longer with us. There is so much Darkness._

"Mara." Leia called, awakening Mara from her meditation.

Mara opened her eyes and looked across the desk at Leia. "Feeling better?"

Leia kept a straight face and did not respond to Mara's question. "Was your mission successful?"

Nodding her head, Mara stood up and placed a datapad on Leia's desk. "It was. Grand Moff Tarken has been eliminated and the plans for the project that he was going to send to Palpatine have been destroyed, permanently." Mara reported, her face an emotionless mask.

A small smile appeared on Leia's face and she picked up Mara's report. "Well done, Mara. The Alliance High Command will be pleased." Leia paused, set the datapad down on the desk, and picked another one up and handed it to Mara. "There has been another target selected, if you wish to take it."

Mara accepted the datapad and turned it on to see the assignment. "Prince Xizor? Are we getting a little to close to catching Palpatine's attention? Removing Grand Moffs is one thing, but to go after the leader of an organization that Palpatine uses is suicide."

Ignoring her, Leia picked another datapad and began to read it.

Mara closed her eyes and took a deep breath and slowly let it out, sending her irritation into the Force like she had been taught. "Leia." Mara began in a gentle voice and then she opened her eyes. "Is the Alliance ready?"

"We're ready." Leia replied confidently as she set her datapad down and looked at Mara. "Are you ready?"

"I'll be back in two weeks." Mara said instead and walked out of Leia's office.

* * *

Anakin felt a sense of wrongness as he meditated. Before when he had meditated he was too excited and nervous to notice, but now that he was calm he could feel it. It felt like darkness had engulfed the whole galaxy and… Anakin sharply inhaled and an icy chill crept up his spine. He could not sense any Jedi. In the past, when he and his Master were at the Temple or on Missions, Anakin could always sense, through his meditation, Jedi who were near and far away. The Force signatures of Jedi were bright white flames of light while those with no Force sensitivity were a dull yellow or gray. The Sith Force signatures were always black, a deep void of nothing. Anakin immediately shielded his presence and his Master's.

Opening his eyes, Anakin gazed out of the veiwport. _No. Everything is fine. The Jedi are safe, the Sith must have been destroyed. There must be another reason for the darkness. The Jedi must be shielding theirselves, that must be the answer. Everything will be fine once we reach the Temple. The Sith did not win, the Sith did not win. No, there must be something else, something else._

The thought of all the Jedi being gone scared him. During the time he had been without his Master during the eighteen years they had been gone, Anakin found that he had a hard time being away from another Force user. Before those long eighteen years, during the war, he had thought that the worst separation was to be away from his wife for a long time. His perspective had changed since then. Yes he missed his wife, but he also found that he missed the presence of Jedi nearby and faraway. Even with Obi-Wan with him, Anakin felt almost alone. Sure he had the Force too, but the Force could not take the place of being around more then one Jedi.

Anakin remembered talking to Obi-Wan about this when he had finally returned to Obi-Wan's side. His Master told him that he too felt the same way and that it was normal for Jedi to feel that way. Anakin took a deep breath and slowly let it out, attempting to calm himself. He felt a hand on his shoulder and a reassuring squeeze.

"You're worrying again." Obi-Wan stated before sitting in the pilot's chair.

"Sorry Master." Anakin apologized, breaking out of his troubled thoughts. He checked their location and then looked at Obi-Wan. "We're about three hours from Coruscant."

Obi-Wan casually stroked his beard for a few seconds before speaking. "You sense it too don't you?"

Anakin nodded his head and looked out the veiwport. "Other then us, it feels like we're the only Jedi alive." Shaking his head, Anakin looked at his Master with his intense blue eyes. "The Jedi can't be gone. I didn't fulfill the prophecy yet. Are there supposed to be Jedi around when I fulfill the prophecy?"

"I don't know." Obi-Wan admitted, his face and voice passive. "The prophecy you carry has been debated over for generations about how it will come about and what it means."

Anakin frowned as he took Obi-Wan's words in. "But it doesn't make sense. How can balance be obtained if there are barely any Jedi left?"

"In my opinion," Obi-Wan began as he studied Anakin's face. "Is that the bringing of balance is not between the light and dark, but the balance that the Jedi need to regain."

"What do you mean?" Anakin asked.

Obi-Wan turned his head to look out at the stars that were racing by before explaining. "I believe you know the answer already, but I will explain. You came to the Jedi at a late age and you had experienced many things that the younglings at the Temple had not experienced. You saw the code differently then other Jedi, and you even broke the code because you saw it as a hindrance. During the war you had to do your duty as a Jedi as well as be a husband. Balancing duty and having a family is not an easy task, but you managed to do it for three years."

Anakin shook his head. "I still don't understand. I broke the code."

"Did you really?" Obi-Wan asked, looking at Anakin. "I spent fifteen years thinking about you and the prophecy, Anakin. I even thought of myself, my Master, and the other Jedi. Remember when you told me that you thought I was holding you back?"

"I remember." Anakin answered.

"You were right. The Jedi had used the code to limit theirselves instead of using it to grow. There were a few times in my Padawan days when I wanted, and a few times actually tried to breach those limitations that were set up. I was always rebuffed, even my Master who would defy the Council rebuffed me. I understood why my Master did it, but it would contradict his past actions. What I am trying to get at is that the Jedi are the ones in need of being brought back to balance, not the Force." Obi-Wan explained.

Anakin pressed his lips together in a thin line and slowly answered. "I think that makes sense. It does explain some things."

"Good." Obi-Wan looked at the console and checked the various readings. "Has the generator acted up at all since you last fixed it?"

"No, but I'm sure it will eventually. It just better not happen while we're coming out of hyperspace." Anakin replied.

Beeps and whistles sounded from behind the cockpit door and Anakin turned his head just as the door slid open and Artoo rolled in.

"Hello Artoo, did you get enough power?" Anakin asked as Artoo came to a stop between the pilot and copilot seat.

Artoo emitted a series of whistles and beeps, causing Anakin to laugh while Obi-Wan rolled his eyes.

"Your droid has a weird sense of humor." Obi-Wan remarked, earning what sounded like a splat sound from Artoo.

Anakin patted Artoo's domed head. "He does doesn't he?"

Artoo tooted loudly in indignation and rolled back out of the cockpit.

Obi-Wan shook his head in amusement. "When did we start teasing Artoo?"

"Since we found out how he outwitted the Vong." Anakin answered. "I think I need to do a few more adjustments on him before he's back to his old self."

Obi-Wan stroked his beard thoughtfully for a moment before he spoke. "I don't know. I think I like him the way he is now."

They both laughed until tears came to their eyes.

"I think," Anakin began as his laughter subsided, "that if Threepio is still around we will be hearing a lot of oh my's when Artoo tells Threepio what happened."

"Indeed." Obi-Wan agreed. "I can see that happening."

Anakin looked down at the hyperspace countdown on the console and watched as the seconds went by. Soon they would be home. Soon.


	5. Chapter 4

_"Daddy! Daddy!" Cerasi shouted as she ran inside the house. Her green eyes were wide with excitement. "I saw a ship landing by the lake! It's big…and, and shiny!"_

_Nield walked out of the kitchen and looked down fondly at his daughter. "Did you now?"_

_"Daddy, come on!" Cerasi pressed, tugging at his hand._

_Nield walked outside with Cerasi and down the hill to the lake. As soon as he spotted the ship, Nield stopped walking and held Cerasi's hand firmly to prevent her from going any further. "Cerasi, stay near me. If these people are not friendly then I want you to run to town and ring the bell that is in the square. Understood?" His face a mask of seriousness._

_Cerasi looked up into Nield's clear blue eyes and nodded solemnly. "Yes daddy."_

_Giving Cerasi a reassuring smile, Nield checked the blaster at his belt with his free hand before they continued on toward the ship. They stopped within a few feet of the ship just as the ramp began to lower._

_As the ramp gently hit the ground, a tiny, green, being with two pointy ears and a wooden cane came walking down the ramp. Nield drew in a sharp intake of breath when he caught a glimpse of the creature's lightsaber under his cloak. "Jedi." He all but hissed between his teeth. He tightened his grip on Cerasi's hand and drew his blaster. "What do you want here Jedi? You were not called here."_

_"Safe haven I seek for my companions. Address me as Yoda you may." Yoda calmly replied._

_"Well, Yoda," Nield began sarcastically, "you won't find any here. Now turn around, go back into your ship and leave this planet."_

_"Daddy." Cerasi said, tugging at Nield's hand to get his attention. "Can I go play with them?" She asked, pointing toward the ship._

_Nield looked up to see two young children and a young woman standing at the bottom of the ramp. He sighed, hooked his blaster back onto his belt, and looked down at Yoda. "I will gather the Yui Council together and we will discuss this."_

_Yoda nodded in acceptance and turned to beckon the women and children forward. "Padme Skywalker, this is and Luke and Leia are her children."_

_"I am Nield Teyden, head of the Yui Council and this is my daughter Cerasi." He slowly let go of Cerasi's hand and then watched as she ran towards Luke, Leia, and Padme._

_Cerasi ran up to Leia, who had moved to stand in front of her mother, and smiled brightly. "Hello, my name's Cerasi."_

_Leia silently studied the green eyed, redhead girl and shyly smiled. "My name's Leia." She turned to point at her brother who was hiding behind Padme. "That's my twin brother Luke."_

_Cerasi slowly walked towards Luke and looked at him curiously. "Hello Luke. I'm Cerasi."_

_"He doesn't talk." Leia informed Cerasi._

_A puzzled look appeared on Cerasi's face as she turned to face Leia. "Why not?"_

_Leia shrugged her shoulders and Cerasi turned back around to find Luke still staring at her. "Can you talk?"_

_Luke slowly nodded his head in response._

_"Then why won't you talk?" Cerasi asked._

_/The choice is mine./ Luke gently spoke in Cerasi's mind._

"The choice is mine." Mara mumbled as she woke up from her nap. She opened her eyes and then closed them again as she sank into the currents of the Force. She focused inward and felt the bond she had with Leia and then she went on to feel the bonds that had been broken. There was the bond that she had had with Master Yoda, the tattered remains were almost gone now. Then there was the bond she had had with Luke.

Luke's voice rang in her mind again, repeating those four words so clearly that Mara felt like Luke was right beside her. She brushed her mental fingers against the broken bond and then slowly withdrew from her meditation trance.

Tears glimmered in Mara's eyes as she recalled Luke's last words across their bond, a cry for help, just before their bond was severed. Luke's death had been sudden, there had been no warning. No one had known how closely bonded she had been with Luke, no one but Yoda had noticed her sudden withdrawal from everyone after Luke's death.

What made the pain even worse was the fact that she kept having a dream that was not possible now. In her dream she saw an older Luke and herself watching their children playing near a lake. That would never happen now, never.

Mara stood up and swiftly left the cockpit. I have a mission to complete, there is no sense in remembering the past when all it does is cause pain. Pain is weakness. I cannot afford to be weak. Let the past be the past.

* * *

Darth Zanthis studied the Sumne before him and slowly circled him. The Sumne was six feet tall and about average in weight for his species. The irises of his eyes were yellow were shaped like a thin oval. His ears were positioned like human ears but the ears of the Sumne were pointy, even his earlobes were pointy. The large nose of the Sumne was wrinkled near the top and his large bushy eyes managed to touch his nose. His mouth held many pointy teeth and his lips were a dark purple. His skin was black and a few tufts of hair sprang randomly from his head. The two hands and two bare feet of the Sumne were clawed and on the palm of his hands was a strange looking symbol. The thing that disgusted Darth Zanthis the most was the foul body order of Sumne. The Sumne smelled like a rotting corpse and smelled of still drying blood.

Zanthis despised all of the creatures, but the Sumnii were useful for his Master's plans. Hate poured from Zanthis' being as he stopped circling the Sumne and faced him, it, a creature of darkness, a devourer, a tormentor, an agent of evil. He had a very good reason to hate the Sumnii, to want to kill them all, but he couldn't. The Sumnii had his Master's protection, for now.

"Rectrest." Zanthis began, his voice steady and commanding. "The Emperor has considered you worthy of commanding the iBlywunth/i. Further orders will await you in your private quarters on the iBlywunth/i."

Rectrest hissed between his teeth, his light purple tongue briefly flicking out of his mouth. "Boy, we have been worthy since before you were born. In fact, we are more then just worthy to command starships, we are worthy enough to rule galaxies!" Ah…" He continued before Zanthis could cut in. "The Emperor knows this and so pretends that he controls us."

Zanthis' eyes narrowed and darkened as he spoke. "You walk a dangerous line, Rectrest. The Emperor will not be please by your words."

A smile of pure malice appeared on Rectrest' face. "And what will he do boy? Order you to kill me? You would like that wouldn't you?" His tongue flicked out of his mouth as he spoke. "Yes, your hate for me and my kind is strong. What a pity that that won't be enough to destroy me."

"It will be enough." Zanthis retorted, his eyes flashing yellow.

"Are you sure?" Rectrest asked, smiling slyly before Force slamming Zanthis into a far wall with such speed that Zanthis was unprepared to defend himself.

Zanthis dazedly attempted to get up off the ground, but Rectrest kicked him back down and rolled him onto his back.

"You still have much to learn boy. In fact, we wonder why the Emperor hasn't disposed of you yet. You say we are not worthy enough to rule the universe, but we say you are not worthy enough to clean the Emperor's boots!" Rectrest declared and then turned away from him.

His body aching, Zanthis leapt to his feet and glared at Rectrest. "Don't turn your back to me, Rectrest!"

Rectrest smirked, "I already have."

With a hate filled scream, Zanthis lit his blood red lightsaber and charged at Rectrest.

Rectrest simply reverted to his true black and purple gaseous form and then resolidified behind Zanthis and instantly disarmed Zanthis and shoved him hard onto the ground. Grabbing the front of Zanthis tunic, Rectrest looked at Zanthis with disgust. "Next time boy you won't be so lucky." His tongue flicked out of his mouth and then with a loud hiss Rectrest released Zanthis and left the building.


	6. Chapter 5

"That went smoothly enough." Obi-Wan commented as they walked the busy streets of Coruscant.

"Smoothly?" Anakin responded, his right eyebrow raised, "Didn't you find the amount of battleships around Coruscant to be at all disturbing? And then the fact that Coruscant security measures are like what they were before the clone wars?"

Obi-Wan kept looking straight ahead. "Lower your voice, we don't want to attract attention to ourselves."

They walked on in silence until they reached the entrance to the Temple. Stopping before the massive doors, Anakin and Obi-Wan looked at each other before lightly using the Force to nudge the doors open.

Entering through the narrow opening, the large, heavy doors loudly shut, leaving Obi-Wan and Anakin in darkness.

"Hey, who turned out the lights?"

"Anakin?"

"Yeah?"

A blue lightsaber came to life and lit up Obi-Wan's face. "You're not being amusing."

Anakin sighed and lit his lightsaber. "Sorry Master." As he walked next to Obi-Wan, the icy feeling he had felt since they entered the Temple grew.

The corridor was dark and quiet, way to quiet. Anakin pressed his lips together until they became a thin white line. There was something on the wall. Anakin approached the wall where there were spots of something. Once he got close enough, Anakin realized what it was. It was dried blood. His heart beating fast, Anakin took a step back. At once the lights in the corridor came on as Obi-Wan fiddled with some wires in the portion of the wall that he had cut through.

Turning slowly around, Anakin thought his heart had stopped beating when he saw the terrible sight. A sound between a cry and a sob escaped Anakin's mouth; even Obi-Wan lost his composure. The sight before their eyes was horrifying.

Jedi, young and old, were pinned along the walls. Dried blood stained the floor and walls, and upon a closer look, Anakin and Obi-Wan saw that some had been killed with a lightsaber, and others shot by blasterbolts. Whoever had killed them had pinned the Jedi to the wall with metal nails and then left them to rot.

Anakin shook his head furiously, tears running down his face. W_ho would do such a thing? _The answer quickly came to him. The Sith was responsible for this massacre.

After several long minutes, Obi-Wan regained his outward composure and walked over to Anakin who was still staring at the dead Jedi. He laid a hand on Anakin's shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze. "They are one with the Force now." Even as he said those words, Obi-Wan found it hard to accept. So many Jedi were dead, slaughtered. How can one simply accept the simple fact that these Jedi were one with the Force now?

Anakin did not speak, instead he began to walk down the corridor.

Obi-wan silently followed Anakin and they took the turbolift to the Council chambers. Perhaps there would be a Council recording that could give them some insight to what had happened after Anakin and He had disappeared.

Anakin stepped into the Council chambers first and then suddenly backed up, almost tripping over Obi-Wan in the process.

After helping Anakin steady himself, Obi-Wan entered the chambers and stopped when he saw what had caused Anakin to retreat. A large statue made out of silver and bronze stood in the middle of the room. Around the statue were corpses of younglings. The figure had his lightsaber raised in a triumphant manner and… Obi-Wan paled when he recognized who the statue was.

Anakin retreated to a corner of the reception hall, drew himself into a fetal position and buried his face in his hands. _Palpatine is the Sith Lord? He was the one we were looking for all along? But, how could he be a Sith? He was always a friend to me, someone I trusted. How could I have not seen his deception? Why didn't the Council see it?_

"We better leave. It's not safe for us here." Obi-Wan spoke, drawing Anakin out of his thoughts.

Wiping his eyes with his hands, Anakin looked up at Obi-Wan. "We can't leave them like this." His voice trembling as he spoke.

Obi-Wan nodded. "I agree, but that might not be wise. Doing so may alert the Sith to our presence if he has not sensed us before now."

Swallowing hard, Anakin stood up and followed Obi-Wan to the turbolift.

* * *

"Whatever possessed you to try to fight a Sumne?" Zanthis' friend remarked, as he threw a towel at Zanthis.

Zanthis glared at his friend as he wiped the sweat from his face. "For the record he was the one who started it."

Zanthis' friend laughed in disbelief. "Admit it, you provoked him first, Zanthis."

Throwing the towel onto a bench, Zanthis turned on his lightsaber. "Would you like to rethink your words, Lixion?"

"Why would I want to do that?" Lixion asked, his blue eyes sparkling with mirth.

Hissing between his teeth, Zanthis sprang at Lixion and struck at Lixion's side with his lightsaber.

Grinning, Lixion swiftly ignited his lightsaber and blocked the blow. "Nice, but not good enough."

"You are pathetic." Zanthis responded.

"Really?" Lixion asked. "I thought pathetic means that…" He didn't finish as he concentrated on defending himself from the incoming objects that Zanthis was Force throwing at him. After he redirected the various objects, Lixion launched a flurry of lightsaber strikes at Zanthis, all of them perfectly blocked. "Now back on the subject of the Sumnii."

Zanthis Force leapt over Lixion and attempted to attack Lixion from behind.

Lixion anticipated the move and moved his lightsaber behind him, perfectly blocking the blow and then slowly turned to look at Zanthis.

"He did too start it! All of his kind started it!" Zanthis told him in a loud angry voice. "They destroyed my family and they did the same to yours."

"That's no excuse to provoke him the way you did. If the Emperor found out…"

"He won't." Zanthis interrupted.

Lixion shook his head and disengaged his lightsaber. "You are just setting yourself up for more trouble."

"It is unwise to lower your defense." Zanthis responded, swinging his lightsaber at Lixion's neck.

Lixion ducked and rolled away from Zanthis and then stood up. Touching his blond hair, Lixion felt a few pieces of charred hair. "Now I really do need a haircut." He muttered before igniting his lightsaber and going after Zanthis.

* * *

Managing to hold the tray of food with one hand, Han typed in the code to enter Leia's quarters. The door slid open and Han walked in and went into the living area. There he found Leia sitting curled up on the couch with her eyes closed.

Placing the tray on the coffeetable, Han sat down on the couch next to Leia. "I brought you some lunch."

Leia opened her eyes, glanced briefly at the food and then shook her head. "I'm not very hungry right now."

Han wrapped his arm around Leia's shoulders and Leia laid her head on his shoulder. "I talked to Lando. He's making the arrangements right now for us to stay at the beach house that he owns. Did you find someone to take over your work while we're gone?"

Leia shook her head and sighed. "There was no need to. Mara, as always, decided to take care of that for me. Winter is now in my office, that's why I'm out here. Winter told me that Mara told her that my vacation starts today and that to tell me that she had already informed Mon Mothma that I will be taking a much needed vacation."

Chuckling, Han kissed Leia's forehead. "Well then sweetheart, should you start packing or did Mara already do that too?"

"No she didn't, at least she better not have." Leia responded, closing her eyes.

"Good, then I'll go pack what you need and you can eat." Han replied and stood up to head to Leia's room.

"Han!" Leia protested, eyes wide open. "Don't you dare! I can pack my own clothes!"

Grinning, Han sat back down on the couch and took the tray of food and laid it on Leia's lap. "As you wish Princess. Now eat. It was not easy trying to convince the chef to make you this meal."

Leia looked at the food on the tray and realized that it was her favorite meal. "Oh." She looked back up at Han and smiled. "You didn't have to."

"No, but I wanted to." Han answered.

Leia took a small bite of the vegetables on her plate and then continued to finish the rest of the meal off while Han contently watched her.


	7. Chapter 6

As the turbolift descended, Anakin sank heavily to the ground. He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. "He killed them, he killed them all."

Obi-Wan turned around to face Anakin and knelt down in front of him. "Anakin, look at me."

Anakin's pain filled eyes opened and he looked at Obi-Wan.

"We must remain strong. The Sith struck a mighty blow to the Jedi, but the Sith has not won as long as we are still alive." Obi-Wan stood up and helped Anakin to his feet. "The Force is still with us and we will prevail."

Anakin slowly nodded his head and then watched as the lift doors opened up.

Obi-Wan stepped out first and then paused just outside the lift. Something was not right. He switched on his lightsaber and slowly continued walking.

Turning on his lightsaber, Anakin scanned the area with the Force and his eyes. "I sense something...something I haven't felt since...…" Anakin stopped walking and stood in a defensive stance. "We're surrounded."

"Great. Do you have any ideas?" Obi-Wan asked, warily watching for any sign of movement. Even though the enemy could not be seen yet, the Force told them something different.

"Not at the moment." Anakin answered. The Force whispered a past memory to Anakin and Anakin smiled. /I know what we can do. Remember Yulas/

/Ah yes and we barely escaped that disaster if I remember correctly./ Obi-Wan replied. /Let's do it./

They both sat down, back to back in a meditation position. Holding their lightsabers straight up over their laps, they closed their eyes as the Sumnii floated from their hiding places in the walls, ceiling and floor and solidfied around the Jedi.

Anakin and Obi-Wan gathered the Force around them, creating a wall of pure blinding light.

The Sumnii backed away in confusion and fear and then fled as the light flew at them. The Sumnii fled screaming and yelling out curses, leaving Anakin and Obi-Wan unharmed.

Emerging out of their meditation, Anakin and Obi-Wan ran down the corridor and headed for the exit. The Sumnii are not easily discouraged and they will be back. Knowing from experience that it was not wise to pause even for a second, Anakin and Obi-Wan both used the Force to open the doors as they ran.

* * *

Lixion stopped his pursuit of Zanthis when he felt a tremor in the Force. Closing his eyes he traced the disturbance to its source. "Jedi!" Lixion exclaimed, his eyes opening.

On the other side of the room, Zanthis nodded his head. "I sense them too. They are nearby." He disengaged his lightsaber, put it on his belt and went to pick up his cloak.

"Why bother? The Sumnii will catch them and kill them before we even get there." Lixion remarked, lazily twirling his lightsaber around. "It's funny though, I thought the Jedi were extinct."

Putting on his cloak, Zanthis headed out of the building. "Apparently they're not. Go alert the security forces!" He finished and went out the door.

Lixion sighed and turned his lightsaber off. "Fine, but I doubt they'll get to a ship before they're killed."

* * *

Obi-Wan reached their ship first and quickly got inside. Anakin was just about to head up the ramp when a red lightsaber flew at him. Anakin ducked and ignited his lightsaber as he turned in the direction that the lightsaber had come from.

Zanthis Force pulled his lightsaber back to him and, standing in a fighting stance, Zanthis made a quick analysis of the Jedi. The Jedi was taller than him in height and looked to be in his late thirties.

Anakin was also studying his adversary. The boy looked like he was around eighteen years old. He had blond hair and blue eyes, and the boy was a little bit shorter than him. _He's just a child._ Seconds after that thought, Zanthis attacked and Anakin defended himself.

Blocking a strike at his side, Anakin remained on the defensive as Zanthis viciously attacked.

As the minutes passed, Zanthis started to grow irritated that Anakin continued to remain on the defensive. "Why won't you attack, Jedi?" Zanthis spat out. "Are you a coward?"

"What's your name?" Anakin asked, dodging a strike at his legs.

"My name is Darth Zanthis, it is my blade you will die on." He replied and struck at Anakin's chest.

Blocking the strike with the blue blade of his lightsaber, Anakin smiled. "Not today," and Force pushed Zanthis backwards before flipping backwards onto the ship's ramp as the ship lifted off the ground.

Anakin ran up the ramp as the ramp closed, hooked his lightsaber to his belt, and then headed into the cockpit.

"What took you so long?" Obi-Wan asked as Anakin took the pilot's seat.

"I believe we can safely say that the Sith know we're here. Whether or not he recognizes exactly who we are is another question, although I don't think it matters." Anakin responded as he steered the ship into Coruscant's traffic that was heading offplanet.

Shaking his head, Obi-Wan checked the ship's systems and adjusted the shields. "The shields are at a hundred percent, however we don't have very much firepower."

"Lovely." Anakin responded sarcastically. "Divert the power used for the weapons to the shields and keep an eye out on the readings of the hyperdrive."

They were warmly greeted by several star destroyers and a few dozen tie fighters as soon as they exited Coruscant's atmosphere. Anakin turned the ship to the right and then brought the ship into a spin, dodging the laser blasts that were coming from the ties.

The ship shuddered as a few of the ties managed a few direct hits. "This is not good. They're attempting to cut off our escape route." Obi-Wan observed.

Anakin yanked the control stick back, and the ship lurched as Anakin cut the power to the engines and then put them back on. The ties sped past them and then came back around when the tie pilot's realized what happened. Anakin boosted the ship's speed and headed for the star destroyers. "Some hyperdrive coordinates would be nice."

Obi-Wan punched in a set of coordinates and then was jerked around in his seat as a few laser blasts from the star destroyers hit them.

Pressing his lips together as he concentrated, Anakin used the Force to help speed the ship up and get past the star destroyers. He closed his eyes, letting the Force flow through him and guide him.

Looking out the viewscreen, Obi-Wan's eyes widened as he saw something very familiar directly in their path. "Sommins!"

Anakin's eyes flew open and he yanked the ship hard to the right, narrowly escaping a tentacle from one of the sommins. "Anymore surprises?" Anakin remarked as he piloted the ship into a steep dive and then brought the ship back up sharply, escaping two more of the long silver tentacles that protruded from silver oval shaped ships. "Don't answer that." He said before Obi-Wan could make a comment.

The tentacles spat out purple globs that easily passed the ship's shields and attached themselves to the hull. Anakin curse loudly in Huttese and pulled the hyperdrive lever. The ship shook as the purple globs exploded, and as the ship entered hyperspace one last explosion took place and then everything went dark.

* * *

Zanthis burned with anger as Admiral Iden finished his report. "It was one ship against an entire fleet! Contrary to your report Admiral, they are still alive."

Iden swallowed hard and then spoke, "Lord Zanthis, I…" He gagged and brought his hands up to his throat as he struggled to get the much needed air.

"You have failed me, I do not tolerate failure." Zanthis told him as he squeezed the life out of Iden. "Captain Ozzel."

Ozzel came into full view of the comm. screen just as Iden fell still and lifeless on the floor. "Yes, my lord?"

"You are in command now Admiral." Zanthis told him with a tone of warning in his voice. "You are to take the fleet and track down the Jedi. I want them destroyed."

"Yes, lord Zanthis, it will be done." Ozzel responded and gave a short nod of his head.

Zanthis switched the comm. off and stormed into the next room where Lixion was calmly sitting on a plush red sofa and sipping a white wine. "You said that they wouldn't escape!" Zanthis angrily snapped.

Lixion took a slow, careful sip of his wine and then looked at Zanthis. "Yes, it was quite a surprise."

"Is that all you have to say? It was quite a surprise?" Zanthis asked, his eyes burning a bright yellow as his anger grew.

Taking one last sip of his wine, Lixion set the silver cup on the low, rectangular, brown table that was in front of him and stood up. "Our fighters are being prepared as we speak." He calmly replied as he looked at Zanthis. "The Jedi won't escape us for long."

To angry to speak, Zanthis stormed from the room and headed for their private hangerbay. Lixion followed at a distance and by the time he entered the hanger Zanthis was already in his ship and putting his helmet and gloves on. Lixion got into his own ship and within minutes was following Zanthis out of the hanger.

"Zanthis," Lixion said over the comm. unit. "I had a search plan put into your fighter's computer. If my calculations are correct, they can't have gone to far. Those were nasty explosions they took."

Zanthis didn't respond to Lixion, but he brought up the search plan on his ship's computer, looked it over, and a few seconds later spoke. "It looks good." Zanthis punched in a set of coordinates and got ready for the jump to hyperspace.

"Let's go then." Lixion responded.

Minutes later Lixion and Zanthis' fighters entered hyperspace.


	8. Chapter 7

"_What is that?" Anakin asked as he stared out of the viewscreen at a swirling red mist that was growing closer with each passing second._

_A loud howl filled the cockpit as the mist enveloped them and then there was silence._

_Anakin and Obi-Wan both looked at each other and then at the mist that surrounded them inside and outside the ship._

"_Hear me! Anyone!" A voice cried out somewhere in the mist._

_Anakin and Obi-Wan looked around for the source of the voice, but didn't find anyone._

"_The darkness has grown to powerful. Please, help us!" The voice cried out again and then there was silence._

_The mist began to gather tightly around the ship and then it began to sparkle._

"_I have a bad feeling about this." Obi-Wan remarked when he was blocked by an invisible barrier when he tried to touch the controls._

_Anakin ignored him as he heard the voice repeat itself in his mind. Just as the sparkling around the ship began to accelerate, Anakin spoke. "I guess he took that as a yes."_

"_What?" Obi-Wan responded in a shocked voice._

_Five seconds later the ship, along with its occupants, disappeared from hyperspace._

Anakin woke to alarms screaming out warnings and flashing lights on the console as the ship wildly jerked about in hyperspace. With wide eyes, Anakin looked over the controls and cursed in huttesse. Unbuckling himself, Anakin rose unsteadily onto his feet and then walked a few steps over to Obi-Wan who was beginning to wake up.

Just as Anakin was about to speak, the ship lurched and tumbled as it ungracefully came out of hyperspace.

Obi-Wan, now fully awake gripped the armrests in a death grip until the spinning stopped. Taking a deep breath to calm himself and drawing on the Force to settle his nerves, Obi-Wan looked around from his seat and saw Anakin pick himself off of the floor. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, just a little banged up." Anakin responded as he rubbed his sore shoulder. "I'm going to see if the hyperdrive is reparable."

As Anakin left the cockpit, Obi-Wan unstrapped himself from the crashwebbing and then ran a diagnostic of the ship's systems. By the time the diagnostic was finished, Anakin returned.

"The hyperdrive is scrap," Anakin declared as he plopped down in the pilot's seat. "And so is the engine."

Obi-Wan silently stroked his beard in thought. "The escape pod is still functioning properly, except we're not close enough to make it to a planet." When he didn't get a response from Anakin, Obi-Wan looked over to the side to see that Anakin had entered a meditation trance. Failing to think of an idea that would get them out of this predicament, Obi-Wan soon followed Anakin into meditation.

* * *

Mara pulled her ship out early from hyperspace as the Force directed her to. When the ship came out of hyperspace, Mara spotted a drifting ship. Sensing no immediate danger, Mara opened communications with the other ship. "This is the _Flame of Jade_, do you require assistance?"

The com crackled with static and then a male's voice came through. "Yes we do. We ran into some trouble on Coruscant and our hyperdrive was damaged when we escaped."

_Oh great. They stirred up the gundark nest._ Mara thought sarcastically to herself. "I'll dock with your ship and then you can come onboard. Where are you headed?"

"Anywhere but here and Coruscant will be nice." Another male voice spoke up.

Mara docked her ship with theirs and unlocked the hatch so that they could board and then left the cockpit to meet them.

The first man to enter her ship was a human in his fifties and he was followed by an astromech unit and then a few minutes later, a younger man came through the hatch. Mara also noticed that they each had a lightsaber on their belt.

"Now who are you and why in the ten Correlian hells were you on Coruscant?" Mara asked, her voice sharp and hard.

"You may not believe us if we told you." The younger man responded, earning a glare from Mara.

"I'm Obi-Wan Kenobi and my companion here is Anakin Skywalker." Obi-Wan answered.

Mara snorted in disbelief. "You're right, I don't believe you." With a flick of her wrist, a lightsaber appeared in Mara's hand and was lit. "Now really, who are you?"

"We already told you." Anakin calmly replied.

Running quickly out of patience, Mara Force pulled their lightsabers from their belts and placed them on her own and Force pulled the bag Anakin held in his hand away from him and placed it behind her. "Kenobi and Skywalker disappeared 18 years ago and the Jedi Council declared that they are dead."

"The Council is…was," Obi-Wan corrected himself, "not all knowing. Just because they said one thing does not necessarily make it true."

"Then I suppose if what you say is true that you both must have a very good reason why it took 18 years to reappear." Mara raised a delicate red eyebrow and then her face became stern. "Walk down the corridor behind you!"

Obi-Wan and Anakin complied and they soon found theirselves in an empty cargo hold.

"This is where you'll stay until I can confirm your identities." Mara told them before closing the door and locking it. As soon as Mara turned around, the ship shuddered as it was hit with blasterfire. Mara ran to the cockpit and saw that two starfighters with familiar Force auras in them were the ones attacking her. "I should have thrown them in the cargo hold first and questioned them later." Mara muttered under her breath as she disengaged her ship from the now empty ship and began making evasive maneuvers.

"Ah, Jade. Nice to see you again." Zanthis spoke as he spun his starfighter around and shot at the _Flame of Jade_'s belly.

Mara flipped and rolled the ship to avoid the blasts and then had to jerk the ship hard to the left when the second starfighter flew right at her. "You'll forgive me if I don't feel the same."

A chuckle came over the comm. system. "You're as fiery as ever Jade." Lixion remarked. "Do you always stay in that ship?"

Mara fired at Lixion's starfighter in response and managed to graze his shields.

"Ouch, that hurt." Lixion replied in a mocking voice and shot a few volleys at Mara's ship.

"Lixion, knock it off." Zanthis' irritated voice came through the speaker. "Jade, we know you have those two Jedi so why don't you just hand them over and we'll let you go."

Mara rolled her eyes and launched a torpedo at the derelict ship. "Nope, sorry but I got them first. I'm sure they'll fetch an excellent price on the black market. If you want them then you'll just have to do what the other slavers do, go to the slave auction."

Lixion flew his starship around the _Flame of Jade_ and fired at her rear. "A pity you're not Force sensitive, you would make a decent Sith."

Pressing her lips in a thin line, Mara reversed the ship's thrusters and the ship jolted backwards and was put into a tight spin.

Zanthis broke away from flying beside Lixion and managed to barely escape the _Flame of Jade_'s sudden reversal.

"Is that the best you can do?" Mara baited. "I'm sure the Emperor will be displeased that two Jedi escaped your grasps just because you both don't want to kill me."

Outraged, Zanthis and Lixion flew their starfighters at the highest speed possible at the front of the ship only to have Mara launch to torpedoes at them and move her ship out of their path.

The torpedoes opened up to reveal an odd kind of net that immediately grasped onto the starfighters and shut down all the systems on the starfighters except for lifesupport.

"See you next time." Mara told them with a small smirk of satisfaction and then pulled the hyperdrive lever to enter hyperspace.


	9. Chapter 8

Lixion stepped out of the hangerbay and stormed down the corridor, uttering curses as he went.

Zanthis merely smirked as he followed Lixion. "I think you have just set a new record. You have been cursing for about an hour."

Eyes flashing yellow, Lixion abruptly spun around, causing Zanthis to stop where he was. If you hadn't been fooling around…."

"I wasn't the one fooling around!" Zanthis retorted before Lixion could finish.

Lixion's nostrils flared and he clenched his fists. "No? Then how come she escaped with the Jedi and we had to wait in embarrassment to be rescued?"

Zanthis shrugged his shoulders. "We owed her one?"

His eyes blazing with fury, Lixion turned around and continued to storm down the ship's corridor. "The Emperor will not be pleased."

"I'll let you inform our Master then while I take care of alerting the other fleets to be on the lookout for the _Flame of Jade_." Zanthis responded and turned to go down a corridor on his left. He immediately regretted that decision when he came face to face with Darth Magnus, the Emperor's prized apprentice.

Darth Magnus had reddish brown hair that was short and straight. His eyes were a grayish color and would change according to his mood and right now they were a dark green, tinted with yellow. He was twenty years older then Zanthis and Lixion and an expert with a lightsaber. He made it a point every chance he got to demonstrate to Lixion and Zanthis why he was the Emperor's prized apprentice.

"On second thought…" Zanthis gulped and turned and ran back to Lixion. That was a mistake. Zanthis was Force pushed into Lixion and they both fell to the floor.

"What the…" Lixion stopped when he saw the towering, menacing, figure looking down at them. "Oh, bantha crap!"

* * *

Mara examined the odd device that she found in the bag that the two Jedi had had and then placed it back into the bag and put it on her bed. It was time to get some answers. She entered the cargohold and saw the two Jedi sitting in a corner of the room.

"You really should have safety straps in here." Anakin remarked as Mara approached.

Mara glared at him for a few seconds and then took a device off her belt so that she could take their blood samples and then left the room to get the blood analyzed and find out whether the two Jedi were telling the truth or not. The Force hadn't indicated that the two Jedi were lying, but Mara wanted firm proof nonetheless.

Impatiently, Mara tapped her fingers on the table as she waited for the results, when the results came back she studied them closely. Their story was true, they were Kenobi and Skywalker. Mara stared at the screen in disbelief and then slowly that disbelief was replaced by anger. Whirling around, Mara stormed back to the cargohold.

* * *

"You let them escape!" Magnus snapped, loudly, anger in his voice. "The Emperor is displeased with the both of you!"

Zanthis and Lixion were both kneeling with their faces to the ground in front of Magnus. After Magnus had caught them both in the corridor, he had taken them to his private chambers, chambers that should have remained empty for three more weeks.

"You both are a disgrace," Magnus continued, circling the two boys. "Worthless, unfit to become Sith! Failure is unacceptable! The both of you do not deserve the title of Darth!"

"It wasn't our fault!" Xanthis protested. "If the Sumnii had done their job then this wouldn't have happened!"

"That is no excuse!" Magnus roared.

Zanthis swallowed hard and fought against the impulse to run.

Lixion spoke up then, his voice amazingly calm. "It was Zanthis' fault!"

"My fault?" Zanthis angrily responded, he looked at Lixion with disgust showing on his face. "You are the one who should have moved quicker!"

"Enough!" Magnus shouted and they fell quiet. "You both disgust me." With a flick of his fingers, Magnus opened two trapdoors that were beneath Zanthis and Lixion and they fell into a hole, that, if they curled up in a tight ball they could lay on the metal floor. With another flick of his fingers, Magnus shut them inside and left his chambers.

Hot angry tears trailed down Zanthis' cheeks as the trapdoor closed, leaving him in darkness. He had long ago discovered that it was fruitless to try to escape this little prison that Magnus had created. He could throw a fit and no one would hear him, not even Lixion who was in the hole next to him.

"I hate him! I hate Magnus, I hate Lixion, I hate the Emperor, I hate the Sumnii, I hate Magnus' prison, I hate Jade, I hate those two Jedi, I hate that I'm trapped in here!" He paused and then shouted at the top of his lungs. "I hate you all!"

* * *

Mara entered the cargohold and glared at Anakin and Obi-Wan. "I hope you both have a very good reason to show your face again after eighteen years!" She spat out even as she attempted to release her emotions into the Force.

Anakin hung his head, unable to meet Mara's eyes.

Taking a deep breath, Obi-Wan calmly answered. "If we had been able to come back sooner then we would have."

With a now calmer voice, Mara asked, "What happened?"

"We received a call for help while in hyperspace, and when Anakin asked the person who called what kind of help was needed, our ship was hurled far out into the unknown regions." Obi-Wan explained.

Anakin continued, looking up at Mara as he spoke. "It wasn't an ordinary call. We encountered a red mist while in hyperspace that enveloped inside and outside our ship. The voice called from inside the mist and then the mist brought us to a place beyond our galaxy and to a different galaxy, one where the darkness had a firm hold."

"So while you saved that galaxy ours fell into darkness. I hope you both are satisfied of the results of your disappearance!" Mara responded, her voice cold and bitter.

Finding no words to say, Anakin lowered his gaze to the floor. Mara's words were like an icy dagger in his heart. She was right. If they had remained then perhaps the darkness here could have been stopped and destroyed, but at the same time that may have condemned another galaxy to total darkness forever.

"All is not lost," Obi-Wan spoke softly, his voice still calm. "The darkness can still be stopped. Many have died, yes, but who is to say that it may have been better if we had remained?"

"Some would disagree." Mara responded. "That still does not explain why both of you have been gone eighteen years!" Her voice rose again, echoing in the cargohold. "Five years may be more understandable, but eighteen years!"

Anakin thought about telling her where anger leads to, but wisely kept his mouth shut and let Obi-Wan answer.

"Unfortunately we had been unable to use the method that had sent us out of our galaxy or we would have been back sooner." Obi-Wan replied and added, "We had an interesting journey back."

Instead of replying, Mara turned and left the cargobay. After the door shut and locked behind her, Mara leaned against the bulkhead and let the tears fall.


	10. Chapter 9

_Mara cried out in her sleep as a sharp coldness pierced her body and she jerked awake. Her wide eyes stared into the darkness of her room as she breathed heavily. An ache grew within her and fear blossomed. Getting out of bed, Mara ran out of her bedroom, down the stairs and out the front door. The grass felt cold and wet against her bare feet as she took off at a run to where the Skywalker family was staying. When she was within a couple feet of the house, she stopped and turned to the left. _

_She ran through the flower filled field of grass and then froze. In the moonlight, Mara was able to come to a conclusion of what it was. She had heard Master Yoda speak of the Sumnii to her father. Leia had also told her of what she knew. That was not all, no matter how much she wished that was all. The Sumnii was bending over somebody with something that looked like a dagger in its hand. Mara gasped and took a step back as the Sumnii looked in her direction. The Sumnii blinked a couple of times before rushing off in the opposite direction. _

_Taking deep calming breaths like Master Yoda had taught her, Mara slowly approached the person laying in the grass. When Mara saw who it was a sob escaped her throat and tears came to her eyes. "Nonononononono…" She shook her head furiously, yet what she saw before her didn't change. "NO!" She screamed. She fell to her knees beside him and placed her hand on his chest, hoping to feel its rise and fall, but she felt nothing. She put her fingers near his parted lips to see if he was drawing breath, but he was not._

_Tears ran down Mara's cheeks as she looked at Luke and then looked in the direction that the Sumnii had gone. Wiping her tears away with the sleeve of her nightgown, she followed the path that the Sumnii had gone. The hill began to decline as she walked until from her position she could see into the valley._

_Eyes wide with fear at what she saw, Mara turned around and ran as fast as she could to the Skywalker's temporary home. Once she was inside, Mara shouted, "The Sumnii are coming! The Sumnii are coming!" She ran up the steps of the house and banged on the door of Padme's room._

_Padme opened the door to see Mara's pale, tear streaked face. "What's wrong?"_

_Mara took several deep breaths of air before speaking. "The Sumnii are here, I saw them in the valley. They're coming!"_

_At that moment Leia came out of her room across the hall, her face as pale as Mara's. "Mom..." She slowly began, her voice trembling. "Luke's dead."_

_A loud explosion lit the night sky and rang through the air as the Sumnii used their ships to blast the ground. The house shook from the explosion, causing those inside to grab onto something before they fell. Even as the house trembled, Padme ran to her son's room and turned on the lights, only to find an empty bed._ _Mara and Leia watched Padme walk over to the window of her son's room and look outside at the burning landscape and the Sumnii ships flying around in the sky lit by the explosions._

_Mara sensed her father enter the house and ran down the stairs to him and clung to him. "Daddy, I'm scared."_

_Nield gave his daughter a strong, reassuring hug and looked up the stairs where Padme and Leia were coming down. "The Sumnii are doing an air assault and have attacked two other cities on the other side of the continent. We need to get underground." He checked to make sure they were all accounted for and noticed that someone was missing. "Where's Luke?"_

"_Luke was outside before the attack started. The Sumnii had already killed him." Mara answered, fresh tears beginning to fall._

_Leia slowly nodded her head in confirmation. "I saw him get killed in my dream. Our bond is broken."_

_Another explosion rang outside, this time much closer._

"_Come on, we need to go now!" Nield told them and took them to a section of the house where he knew there was a trapdoor that led into some underground tunnels that the Young had used a long time ago. As they closed the trap door behind them, the Sumnii launched a pair of torpedoes at the house and it exploded into a ball of fire and debris...Whistling and beeping replaced the sounds and everything began to fade._

Mara's eyelids fluttered open as she slowly woke up. The beeping and whistling grew more persistent and something bumped against her leg. Still in a curled up position, Mara looked up to see a blue and white astromech droid. She glared at it and the droid backed away.

Sighing, Mara stiffly stood up and headed to her bedroom and entered the refresher. She turned the water on cold and looked at herself in the mirror. She could see dried tear tracks, and her eyes were red and puffy from crying. Mara listened to the water running and then scooped up a handful of water in her hands and washed her face.

The toots and whistles returned and Mara looked toward the doorway where the astromech droid was. "Will you stop following me!" Mara told the droid and turned off the faucet and grabbed a towel to dry her face.

The astromech made a forlorn sounding toot and moved out of her way as she left the refresher.

Mara went back to the cargobay and stood in front of the door, the droid stopped behind her. Shaking her head, Mara turned around and looked down at the droid. "I suppose I shouldn't be mad at them."

The astromech beeped in agreement.

"It's hard, you know? I mean, I wish things had been different, but wishing won't change anything. The past is the past. One of the things that Master Yoda taught me was that the future is always in motion and that even if a wish was granted that it would not ensure that the galaxy would be a better place."

The droid swerved his domed head to the side and made a sound that almost sounded like he was trying to comfort her.

A small smile managed to make its way onto Mara's face and she patted the droid's head. "I should let them out of the cargobay now. It's not the most comfortable place to stay in." Turning around, Mara unlocked the door and gestured for the droid to go in. "Tell them they can come out, I'll be in the cockpit."

* * *

Anakin came out of his meditation trance in time to see Artoo roll into the cargobay and then emit a series of beeps and whistles. "Really." Anakin answered and stood up.

Artoo whistled and made another series of sounds.

Anakin rolled his eyes and looked over to where Obi-Wan was sleeping and then back to Artoo. "Stay with Obi-Wan and when he wakes up tell him that I'm in the cockpit." Anakin told Artoo and left the cargobay.

A few minutes later he found the door to the cockpit and entered. The door slid shut behind him and he silently watched their rescuer adjust some controls on the console.

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions." Mara remarked as she continued to adjust some instruments. "Sit down."

Anakin sat down in the copilot's chair and after a few minutes of silence passed and then Anakin spoke. "Thank you for helping us escape…."

"You can call me Mara." She told him, not looking at him.

"Thank you, Mara. What exactly happened after we disappeared?" Anakin asked, at the same time unsure if he wanted to know yet.

Mara stared out at the stars that streaked passed the cockpit window and took a deep breath. "Did you see inside the Temple?"

"Yes." Anakin answered, his stomach twisting into a knot as he vividly remembered what he saw.

"About two months and three weeks after Master Kenobi and you disappeared, the Council declared that you both were dead. Not long after that declaration, a Jedi team found Count Dooku's body. A week later Mace Windu found and destroyed General Grievous. Three of the Council members who were still on Coruscant, Master Yoda was away helping the Wookiees defend their home at that time, the council members went to the Chancellor to see to it that the Chancellor laid down his emergency powers. Palpatine revealed his true self to them and killed them all, and then he gave the clones the order 66. The clones turned on the Jedi that commanded them, and the clones that were on Coruscant attacked the Jedi Temple. Master Yoda and Master Windu, managed to escape and return to Coruscant, but by that time it was to late. They snuck into the Temple and found a security log of a conversation between the Sith Master and his apprentice. Yoda came to the conclusion that Palpatine was behind what had happened and went to confront him while Master Windu went to go see if he could find any possible survivors. Master Yoda confronted Palpatine and Palpatine revealed himself to be the Sith Master. They dueled and Yoda lost, but he escaped. Master Yoda found Mace and with Senator Organa's help, they got off Coruscant."

"When did the Sumnii appear?" Anakin asked.

Mara raised a red eyebrow and looked at Anakin. "You ask like you are familiar with them?"

Anakin nodded his head, his face serious. "Obi-Wan and I encountered them a lot in the galaxy that we were in."

"I see." Mara turned her gaze back to the streaking stars and was silent for a couple of seconds. "The Sumnii first appeared a few days after the massacre at the Temple. Since then there have been rumors that their numbers have been increasing. We don't know where they are coming from. The outposts in the outerrim have not reported any sightings of the Sumnii exiting the unknown regions but we don't have outposts on every outerrim planet so it is possible that they have been slipping by us."

"Do you know what happened to Senator Amidala?" Anakin slowly asked, afraid of what the answer would be if she knew.

"In other words, your wife." Mara responded bluntly. A small smile twitched at her lips as she felt Anakin's surprise through the Force. "Your secret is not a secret anymore, Anakin. Those on the rebellion's council know, a couple of Jedi knew, and various other people know." Mara let this information sink into Anakin's mind a bit before continuing. "When Master Kenobi and you were declared dead, Padme went to Master Yoda and told him about the marriage. That was not all though…." Mara paused abruptly and her eyes briefly glazed over.

Anakin felt the tiny tremor in the Force and stretched out with the Force to see if he could tell where it was coming from.

"Oh Sith!" Mara exclaimed, and without warning brought the ship out of hyperspace and punched in another set of coordinates while at the same time avoided a rather large asteroid directly in their path.

The ship had jerked backwards and then leapt forward so quickly that Anakin barely avoided crashing into the control console. "Are you crazy!" He exclaimed after he managed to get back into his seat and buckled up. "You don't take a ship out of hyperspace like that!"

Once the new course was set and the ship was at the jumping point, Mara pulled the hyperdrive lever and the stars once again began to streak past. "I know what I'm doing so calm down."

Anakin took several calming breaths and also used the Force to help calm him down. "Do you always fly recklessly?"

Mara rolled her eyes and checked the readings on the control console. "Those are odd words coming from you. I have heard tales of some of your own reckless flying."

"There is a fine line between being reckless and suicidal." Anakin retorted.

"We're still in one piece so quit your complaining!" Mara told him sharply. "I had good reason for changing our course like that."

"And what reason would that be?" Anakin asked, annoyance in his voice.

Mara waited a full two minutes before speaking. "Are you calm now?"

"Yes I am." Anakin responded in a calmer voice.

"Now, as I was saying. Padme went to Yoda and told him about the marriage and that she was also pregnant with your child."

Anakin's eyes widened and his heart leapt with joy within his chest. _I am a father. I have a child._

"Master Yoda kept the secret and when he and Master Windu went to leave Coruscant for the last time they took Padme with them to safety. They met up later on with some Senators that were part of a movement to get the Chancellor to give up his emergency powers so that the Senate can operate like it should. When the Chancellor declared himself Emperor, that group of Senators formed a rebellion that will someday restore the Republic. The Rebellion was slowly and quietly formed and while this took place and after Padme had helped in part of its creation, Padme and Master Yoda went deeper into the outerrim where she gave birth. She gave birth to a girl and named her Leia. Leia is now one of the leaders of the Rebellion and is also strong in the Force. She also gave birth to a boy who she named Luke. Luke died eight years ago and Padme died two years ago."

Anakin felt the joy that had built up plummet at that news. Padme was dead. The son he never knew was dead. Even though he knew his daughter was still alive, it didn't lessen the sharp ache in his heart. He would never see Padme's smiling face again, never hear her sweet laugh. He wouldn't get to see his children take their first steps, say their first words. He would never see his only son. He would be able to see his daughter but he missed so much. Would Leia accept him? Will she be happy to see her father for the first time? What if she rejected him? What if she didn't want to see him? Tears began to form in Anakin's eyes and he swiftly left the cockpit before the tears could fall.

His steps led him into a small room where spare parts and broken pieces of machinery were and set to work fixing and improving the various parts he found. Tears clouded his vision and sobs escaped his throat. Tossing the part he had been trying to work on aside, Anakin curled up into a ball and wept.


	11. Chapter 10

Han took a deep breath of the fresh salty air and smiled. "Now this is a vacation." He left the balcony and cheerfully whistled as he stepped into the kitchen to make Leia a surprise breakfast in bed. He stopped in his tracks when he saw that Leia was already up and drinking a cup of coffee. "You do realize that a vacation involves sleeping in." Han remarked as he went to sit down next to her.

Leia finished the last drop of her coffee and looked at Han, a smile on her face. "Really? Then why aren't you still in bed?"

"I was going to surprise you by making breakfast." Han admitted. He studied her face and noticed the telltale signs of a person who has not been getting a lot of sleep.

"Oh. Sorry about that. It was a nice idea." Leia replied.

"Are you having trouble sleeping?" Han asked, concern in his voice.

Leia's smile disappeared and she stood up to get some more coffee. "I'm fine, Han."

Han frowned and followed Leia to the counter where the coffeemaker had enough coffee for one more cup. Han picked up a small container of coffee grounds and opened it to see how much was left. His suspicion was confirmed when he saw that a large portion had already been used up. "Leia, be honest with me. This was a new container of coffee grounds when we left on our vacation."

Leia finished pouring herself some coffee and took a small sip. "That doesn't mean that I'm having trouble sleeping."

Han put the container of coffee grounds back on the counter and carefully removed the coffee cup from Leia's hands and put it on the counter. Han held her hands ion his own and massaged her palms with his thumbs. "Okay, then let me change my question. Why are you trying to avoid going to sleep? Are you having visions again?"

In response Leia stepped forward and laid her head against Han's chest. "Hold me, Han, hold me."

Han wrapped his strong arms around her and kissed the top of her head. "I'm here for you, Leia. I love you."

Silent tears escaped Leia's eyes and she closed her eyes as she enjoyed the feeling of security in Han's arms. "I love you too." Leia said softly back to him.

Leia let Han lead her into the living area and they sat down on the plush, dark blue couch. Still encircled by Han's arms, Leia curled up next to Han.

"Would you like to talk about them?" Han asked. When he didn't get a reply Han shook his head and kissed her on the lips. "You don't have to suffer with these visions alone, Leia."

Leia removed herself from Han's arms and headed for the front door. "Go make breakfast, Han. I'm going to take a walk around outside for a little bit."

Shaking his head, Han went to go start making breakfast. Once breakfast was made and was waiting on the dining room table, Han went outside to look for Leia. He found her looking out at the water and was only a few feet away when Leia collapsed. "Leia!" Han shouted and ran over to her.

Kneeling down on the warming sand, Han gathered Leia into his arms and checked her pulse. "Leia." Han called, noticing that her face had grown pale. "Leia, snap out of it!" Han picked her up and carried her back to the house as fast as he could. Putting her in bed, Han checked her pulse again before going into the refresher to get a cold wet cloth and put it on Leia's sweaty forehead.

"Please Leia, don't do this to me now." He tucked her tightly into bed and seconds later she began to thrash about and Force pushed some loose objects in the room, including Han who landed on his back. When he got up again Leia was still, almost like she was peacefully sleeping except that her mouth gave the truth away. The visions were back.

Han placed the damp cloth back onto Leia's forehead and ran into the living area to the comm. unit. He punched in the comm. code for Mara's ship and impatiently waited. "Come on Mara, pick up. Be on your ship."

Han's wish was answered when Mara's face appeared on the screen.

"I'm already on my way." Mara informed him. "How is she?"

Han ran a hand through his hair and took a deep breath. "She's still unconscious. I tried to wake her up, but that didn't work. I think the visions are also intense. Plus, she had been avoiding sleeping since we left for our vacation."

A contemplative look crossed Mara's face and then she nodded. "I should be there in a couple of hours. Do what you can for her. Oh, I am also bringing two others with me, they may be able to help."

Han numbly nodded and the call ended. Han went back into the bedroom and sat by Leia's side. Han ran his fingers through Leia's silky brown hair and kissed her on the lips. "I'm here, Leia, I'm here."

* * *

Zanthis shivered with cold inside the dark hole. Something cold and slimy was in the hole with him but he didn't dare harm it and risk more of Magnus' anger on himself. The creature gave off a revolting smell and every now and then would bite Zanthis, causing pain to shoot through Zanthis' body. The silence was beginning to become unbearable, and Zanthis' voice was already hoarse from shouting.

Zanthis' eyelids were tightly shut as he wished for unconsciousness to claim him. Unconsciousness slowly came and claimed him, but his sleep was disturbed---

"_Mama!" The two year old cried in the dark. Crawling on his hands and knees, the young boy crawled around the small room and then sat in a corner. "Mama!" he whimpered, tears running down his face._

_The door to the small room opened with a loud hiss, startling the boy._

_The Sumnii studied the frightened child intently and then reached down to pick the boy up._

_The boy trembled as the clawed hands reached down to grab him and then he screamed and began kicking and hitting the Sumnii with his legs and fists as the Sumnii picked him up._

_The boy screamed even louder as the Sumnii carried him out of the room and tried to bite the Sumnii's hand._

_Ignoring the boy's tantrum, the Sumnii carried the boy into a large room where the Emperor and Darth Magnus were waiting. In the middle of the room was an oval structure that usually held some kind of liquid in it and was used for other purposes. The Sumnii placed the boy into the empty structure, bowed to the Sith and then left the room._

_The child's screams had subsided, yet silent tears ran down his red face. The Sith peered down at the boy and probed the boy with the Force._

_The boy shivered as he felt the icy touch and began to whimper._

"_He is indeed powerful." Palpatine remarked. "His fear and anger is strong. He will make a fine Sith." Palpatine reached down to the boy and put his hand on the child's head._

"_Perhaps." Magnus responded through clenched teeth. _

_Palpatine closed his eyes and probed the boy's mind, breaking past every shield that the boy naturally had until he came to what he was looking for. _

_Feeling the cold, brutal, intrusion into his mind, the boy began to scream again and this time the boy began to unconsciously use the Force. Fueled by his fear and anger, the boy shoved Palpatine's presence out of his mind and put up strong mental shields._

_Outraged, Palpatine opened his eyes and smacked the boy's face and then turned to his apprentice. "You may take charge of him now. I want him obedient, not damaged! Understood?"_

"_Yes my Master." Magnus replied and carefully picked up the still screaming child._

_Hours later the child was left in a caged crib and was sleeping when a warm presence filled the room. The child's eyes slowly blinked open as the room became bright and he felt a gentle comforting touch on his cheek. A small smile appeared on the child's face and he put his arms through the bars, attempting to reach the comforting presence. When the child couldn't reach the presence he began to cry._

"_Shh, little one. It'll be all right. I'm still here with you." The presence began to solidify in the room to reveal that the spirit was a tall man with brownish-grey shoulder length hair, and wore a brown robe. The man smiled, although his eyes revealed his concern for the boy. He walked up to the crib and unlocked the top._

_The child reached his hands up as the spirit picked him up and cradled him in his arms. "Qui." The boy said, enjoying the warmth and comfort he got in Qui's arms._

_Gently rocking the young boy in his arms, Qui walked around the room with him. "Don't be afraid little one, the light will not abandon you. You have a hard path ahead of you, but you are strong, and you will succeed."_

_A sound from outside the room caught Qui's attention. In moments the child was back in the crib, the top of the crib was shut, and Qui's presence was gone._

The slimy creature bit Zanthis again as he slept, releasing more toxins into Zanthis' bloodstream.

* * *

Magnus opened the top of the hole Lixion was in and saw that he was in a deep sleep. Reaching down inside, Magnus pulled Lixion out of the hole and then carried Lixion back to his own quarters and put him in bed.

Magnus studied Lixion's pale face and watched beads of sweat roll down from Lixion's forehead. He could feel Lixion's pain as the toxins attacked his body. Removing a syringe and the antidote from his belt, Magnus administered the antidote. After he disposed of the syringe, Magnus placed his hand on Lixion's still burning but cooling forehead and wiped away the beads of sweat with his fingers. "Will you ever learn? Perhaps my Master is right. You are weak."

Brushing back the sweaty blond locks, Magnus looked at the part of the hair that revealed that Lixion's natural hair color was a rusty brown. "Changing one's looks does not do any good. What did I do wrong in training you?"

Color slowly began to return to Lixion's face and his tense body began to relax as he eased into a more restful slumber.

Slowly Magnus backed away from Lixion and then unhooked his lightsaber from his belt. "The Emperor is not pleased with you, but he has always had his eye on Zanthis. Your usefulness to the Emperor has come to an end."

Magnus stepped forward with his unlit lightsaber in his hand and pointed it toward Lixion's heart. One move of the button and it would be over.

Just as Magnus was about to ignite the lightsaber, his comlink chirped. Placing his lightsaber back onto his belt, Magnus left Lixion's quarters to answer the call.

* * *

Anakin slowly released his sorrow into the Force, letting go of what was and accepting the present reality. Padme, Luke, and the Jedi were now one with the Force. He still had a daughter, he still had his Master, and the Jedi order can still be reborn. He drew the Force to himself, letting it comfort him and ease the pain in his heart. The Sith will be defeated, the Republic will be reborn.

Slowly Anakin opened his eyes and saw Obi-Wan sitting across from him, still in a meditation trance. Anakin smiled and silently thanked the Force for Obi-Wan. Anakin watched Obi-Wan come out of his trance and felt peace and radiating from his Force presence. "Feeling better?"

Obi-Wan smiled. "Better then before. How about you?"

"It still hurts, but I feel better." Anakin responded.

"Mara told me what she told you." Obi-Wan began and then paused, unsure how to continue.

"I'll be fine." Anakin assured his Master and stood up. It's about time we start thinking about how we're going to fight the darkness."

Obi-Wan stood up and they walked out of the room and went to the sitting area of the ship. "That's a good idea."

Mara Jade was in the sitting area when they entered and she had the bag that Anakin had been carrying when they boarded Mara's ship. Without saying a word, Anakin and Obi-Wan sat down and waited for Mara to speak.

Mara studied them with a cool gaze, her annoyance sparking when she felt how calm and at peace they were. Reaching into the bag, Mara took out the star shaped object that looked like there was a white ball inside it. "What is this?" she asked.

"It's a key." Anakin answered.

"To what?" Mara asked impatiently.

Anakin used the Force to pluck the key from her hand and set the key into his own. "To something special."

Muttering a few choice words under her breath, Mara pulled out a light, round, blue ball. "And this?"

Obi-Wan grasped the object with the Force and pulled it to him. "This happens to be a communication device."

Annoyed, Mara threw the empty bag at them and then sat down on a seat opposite from them. She studied them again and then spoke, looking at Anakin. "Knight Skywalker, your daughter is not well. We are heading to her location as we speak. After Padme's death Leia experienced some intense visions that left her in a coma for eight weeks. When she finally awoke she was depressed for several months. Leia seemed to be doing fine until a few days ago when I noticed that something was wrong. Han Solo, Leia's fiancé, took her on a vacation to get her away from the stress of her work. A couple of hours ago Leia collapsed when the visions came. Han has not been able to wake her up since then."

Anakin pressed his lips in a thin line as he absorbed this information.

"You say the visions were intense, did Leia reveal what her visions were about?" Obi-Wan asked.

Mara shook her head. "No. She refused to talk about them."

"Do you think the visions are somehow related to Padme's death?" Anakin slowly asked.

"I'm not sure." Mara answered. "All I can really tell is that they are intense and frightening."

"How soon will we be arriving?" Obi-Wan asked as he stroked his beard.

"Two more hours." Mara answered.

Obi-Wan nodded his head and stood up. "Anakin, we need to talk."

Anakin followed Obi-Wan back to the spare parts room and as soon as the door closed behind them Obi-Wan spoke. "There are several possibilities about why Leia's visions are as intense as Mara says they are." Obi-Wan turned around to look at Anakin. "I think Mara thinks that Leia has had more then one vision before Padme's death."

Understanding filled Anakin and his frown turned into a small smile. "That is a possibility." His smile faded as he continued, "But what if."

Obi-Wan cut Anakin off before he could continue. "We'll figure out another plan of action if it calls for it. For right now let's meditate some more."

Sighing, Anakin sat on the floor across from Obi-Wan and began to meditate.


	12. A Secret Revealed

_The darkness flowed through the galaxy like a heavy black fog, enveloping planets and their stars as it went. Millions of voices cried out as some slowly and others quickly died. Disease, war, and famine ran rapid across many worlds like a hungry beast. People cried out in pain as their masters cruelly dealt with them._

_Leia could feel their pain, their suffering. Their voices cried out in her mind, some afraid, some angry, some pleading for deliverance. Leia shivered from the coldness of the darkness and burned from the pain coming from all those who were suffering. _

_Fire sprang from the ground in front of her and she took a step back, her foot bumping into something. Slowly, so slowly, Leia turned around and looked down. A cry of anguish sprang from her lips as she saw Han's cold, lifeless, accusing eyes staring up at her. Hot, salty, tears ran down Leia's cheeks and she put her left hand over her mouth, and her right hand over her heart._

"_Mom! Help us!"_

_Leia looked up and saw three teenaged children standing a few feet away from her, their hands reaching out for her. Leia reached out to them, her hands brushing their fingertips. _

_A scream filled the air as the youngest of the three crumbled to the ground, blood soaking though his clothes as his lifeblood poured out of him. Leia desperately tried to reach the last two and pull them to her, but she felt like something was restraining her._

_Another scream filled the air as another of Leia's children perished. Leia sobbed with despair as she reached for her last child. This time however, Leia was able to pull her last surviving child, her only daughter, to her. As Leia embraced her daughter, she felt her daughter go limp in her arms. Clutching her daughter tightly to her, Leia looked down at her daughter's face and saw signs of an illness. Laying her dead child onto the ground, Leia stumbled backwards, tears clouding her vision._

_Collapsing to the ground, Leia let out an anguished scream as the galaxy continued to fall to the darkness around her. Every death was like a stab into her heart. She could hear the darkness laughing in triumph. _

_Leia wished death with claim her, but death tortured her by letting her live. She could do nothing. Nothing but watch as the darkness continued to spread. She could do nothing. She was not strong enough. She could do nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing._

* * *

A stormtrooper casually walked down one of the ship's corridors and stopped by Lixion's door. Looking around to make sure that he wasn't noticed, the stormtrooper typed in a code and entered the room. 

After the door slid closed behind him, the stormtrooper locked it and removed his helmet. Next he removed the armor and then hid the stormtrooper armor in various places in the living area. "There is way to much space in here for one person." The man muttered and quietly entered the bedroom. Sensing that Lixion was still asleep and that Magnus was still occupied, the man smiled in satisfaction.

With a flick of his wrist, the man turned on the lights and went to stand at the side of Lixion's bed.

Lixion groaned and his arm quickly went to cover his eyes from the sudden brightness. When the light continued to persist, Lixion slowly moved his arm out of the way as his eyes adjusted. His eyes went wide when he saw a stranger looking down at him. He went to roll off the other side of his bed, but found that he was to weak to do so.

"Easy there young one." The man said. "I'm not a threat."

"Who are you and how did you get in here?" Lixion questioned.

"You may call me Xanatos."

* * *

Mara landed her ship near the Falcon and initiated the shutdown procedures. Once that was done, Mara joined Anakin and Obi-Wan at the ramp and they headed for the beachhouse. 

Mara entered the bedroom where she sensed Han and Leia and saw Han sitting by Leia's side. "How is she?"

"Nothings changed." Han replied, turning to look at Mara and then at the two men standing next to her.

"Han, this is Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker." Mara introduced.

Han stared incredulously at Obi-Wan and Anakin.

"Yes, it's really us." Obi-Wan confirmed.

"How is it possible? Where have you two been for the last eighteen years? Why didn't you both come back sooner?" Han questioned.

"Why don't we go into the livingarea to talk." Obi-Wan suggested. "Anakin and Mara will stay with Leia."

Han looked at Leia, reluctant to leave her side.

"Han," Mara said, laying her hand on Han's shoulder, "Go on, we can take over from here."

A minute later, Han slowly nodded his head and followed Obi-Wan out of the room.

Mara looked at Anakin who had not moved since they entered the room, his eyes on Leia. "Anakin."

Anakin swallowed hard and slowly walked over to Leia's side. Tears brimmed in his eyes as he sat down on the edge of the bed and gazed at his daughter's face. She looked so much like her mother.

A few quite minutes passed before Anakin removed the cold cloth from Leia's forehead and placed his fingers at specific places on her forehead. Closing his eyes, Anakin sank into the currents of the Force.

Anakin pushed outward and focused on Leia's presence. He could feel her pain slipping through cracks in her shielding and had to erect his own shields so that he wouldn't be affected to much. He followed the pain to one of the cracks and slowly slid through it and into Leia's vision.

* * *

_Leia curled up in a corner, if it could be called a corner, and put her hands over her ears. Still the screaming reached her ears and the pain grew. The universe was in chaos. Any moral code had long faded out of existence. She couldn't close her eyes, she couldn't stop seeing the unspeakable horrors before her._

_Flames licked the ground several feet away, creeping closer. She could feel the burning heat, but was not burnt. She had no more tears left to cry, her throat was raw from her screams._

_The flames began to die down and then faded away, as if something had washed out the flames. Confused and afraid, Leia looked around frantically, wondering where the flames would appear next._

"_Leia." A soft, soothing voice called out._

_Leia looked around almost frantically and then hugged herself into a tighter ball. It was an illusion. A trick._

"_Leia." The voice called again._

_Leia looked up from the blood red ground and saw someone walking towards her. She trembled. It was an illusion. She'll reach out and it will turn into a beast._

"_Don't be afraid, Leia." The person said and reached out his hand. "I'm here to help you."_

_Leia shook her head in disbelief and scooted backwards. "Go away, leave me alone!"_

"_Please, Leia. Let me help you."_

_Leia stood up and turned around to run, but stopped when she saw slain bodies strewn across a blackened landscape. A hand touched her shoulder and she tensed up. The image before her disappeared and was replaced by a green, hilly landscape with flowers. The air became cool and a warm wind brushed against her skin. The air smelled fresh and the sky was a clear blue. She could even hear birds chirping._

_Anakin walked around her to stand in front of her, a reassuring smile on her face. "It's alright Leia. The vision is gone."_

_Leia looked up at him, her eyes still filled with caution and traces of fear. "Who are you?"_

"_I'm your father." Anakin responded._

_Leia backed up a step, disbelief on her face. "But your dead, you went missing eighteen years ago. Am I dead?"_

_Anakin shook his head. "No, I'm still alive, and so are you. I'm sorry for being missing for so long. It was not easy getting back to our own galaxy. I did everything possible to get home sooner. I'm sorry. I am here now, Leia."_

_Leia blinked her eyes and tears ran down her cheeks. "I want to believe that."_

_Anakin took her hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Wake up, Leia. Your friends are worried."_

Anakin slowly withdrew from Leia's mind, removed his hand and opened his eyes. He watched as Leia's eyelids began to flutter and then open.

When Leia saw Anakin tears formed in her eyes as she saw that her father was truly there. Leia sat up and through her arms around Anakin's neck and cried.

Anakin placed her arms around her in a loving embrace and hugged her. Tears of joy slid down his cheeks and he silently thanked the Force.

A smile made its way onto Mara's face as she watched the reunion. She heard the door slide open and sensed Han and Obi-Wan enter. She stood and let Han go to Leia who was still crying on Anakin's shoulder.

"Leia!" Han exclaimed, happy to see that Leia was awake.

Leia moved away from Anakin and was promptly hugged and kissed by Han.

Han looked gratefully at Anakin and then looked at Leia. "I thought I was going to lose you this time."

"I'm alright now, Han." Leia brushed her fingers against his cheek and Han kissed her palm.

Anakin felt their love for each other and his smile grew. Before they had landed it had finally hit him that Mara had mentioned a fiancé. He didn't know Han very well, but from the depth of love he sensed between Han and Leia, Anakin felt himself relax. They cared for and loved each other deeply. The match was right.

Leia withdrew from Han who then propped the pillow up so that Leia could lean back. Leia wiped away her tears with her hand and looked around at everyone with a smile on her face. Leia looked at her father and tears of happiness ran down her cheeks. "Father."

Anakin took Leia's hand in his own and gave a gentle squeeze, which she returned. "My daughter. You look so much like your mother."

"I get that a lot." Leia responded, still smiling. "Mother told us a lot of stories about you. She missed you, she always held hope that somehow you were still alive, but were unable to come home for some reason." Leia wiped her eyes wither her hand again and asked, "Do you know?"

Anakin slowly nodded. "Yes, I know."

Fresh tears brimmed in Leia's eyes. "I miss her."

"Leia, I know you don't want to talk about your visions, but I know that it is very helpful to talk about them." Anakin subtly suggested.

Leia pressed her lips together in thought. "You have had visions too?"

"Yes." Anakin confirmed. "I have had them, I know what they are like, and I have learned how to handle them. One way I used to was by telling your mother about them."

"I did that too. I started having visions when I was six years old. I thought they were dreams, but then some events from my dreams started to become real. I told mother about them. She would listen and then comfort me. She told me that you used to come to talk with her when you had disturbing visions. When mother died, I kept the visions to myself, I was afraid to tell them to anyone else. I had a really bad one not long after mother's death. This time I had the same one, but it was more intense." Leia explained. "How do you deal with them father? They're so terrible."

Anakin sent comforting waves of the Force to Leia and waited a few seconds. "Visions are a powerful thing, but what I have learned is that some visions come from the darkside, using our fears to make the visions stronger. There is a meditation technique that can help someone discern if the vision is of the light or of the dark. However, one must remember that the future is always in motion, it is not set in stone. There is also a technique that creates a safer way to block visions."

"Can you teach me these techniques?" Leia asked, hope in her voice.

"Yes I can." Anakin answered.

Frowning, Mara asked. "So we should ignore this vision Leia just had?"

"Yes and no." Anakin replied. From what I saw in the vision there is an ounce of truth in it, but as I said before, the darkside uses a person's fear to make the visions stronger. The reason why I say that there is some truth in it is because it is similar to a vision I had had when Obi-Wan and I were sent into another galaxy. The vision had shown me the state that galaxy was already in. Our own galaxy is not at that point yet, but the possibility is there if we let the darkside manipulate us. Fear can make beings do irrational things and in affect may bring what they fear to life."

Anakin let what he said sink in for a few minutes before continuing. "If a vision is from the lightside it does not mean one can prevent something from still occurring. Even if the vision is from the lightside, it is important to remember that the future is always in motion."

"How do we stop the darkness?" Mara asked.

"We spread light and hope." Anakin answered. "It will take time, but the darkness will be pushed back."

Mara nodded in agreement. "That's a good place to start."

Obi-Wan stroked his beard for a few seconds before adding his thoughts. "Meeting with the leaders of the Rebellion will be our first objective. Our second objective is to go to Ilum."

"Why Ilum? Han asked. "There's nothing there but snow, ice, and Gorgodons."

"And crystals." Mara added.

"True, but there is more to Ilum than anyone can imagine." Anakin responded.

Han snorted and earned a light smack on his side from Leia.

"Like what?" Leia asked.

"We're not actually sure." Anakin admitted. "We just know that there is more there than we know."

Mara rolled her eyes and headed out of the room. "I'm going to make us something light so eat."

"That sounds like a great idea." Obi-Wan second. "I'll help."

"Don't burn down the kitchen, Obi-Wan." Anakin called, grinning.

Obi-Wan peeked back into the room, an innocent expression on his face. "I'm not that bad in the kitchen padawan."

"No, but you do make the simplest tasks more complicated than they need to be, Master."

"That would be you." Obi-Wan retorted, a twinkle in his eye, and then left the doorway.

Anakin laughed in amusement and then looked at Leia and Han who were staring at him. "So, I hear that you both are engaged."

Leia nodded and Han put his arm around her. "Do you approve, father?"

"Well," Anakin rubbed his chin thoughtfully and watched as Han began to sweat. "Yes, I approve." He finally replied, sensing Han instantly relax with relief after he said that. "So when's the wedding?"

"We don't have an actual date in mind yet." Leia admitted.

"I see." Anakin responded. "How did you both meet each other?"

Leia squeezed Han's hand as she thought about that day. "It's an interesting story actually. Seven years ago mom, Mara, and I went to Tatooine, thinking that the Sumni would not find us there. As it turned out the Sumni discovered where we were, so mom got Jabba to help hide us."

"She did what!" Anakin exclaimed.

"Mother said that would have been your reaction." Leia commented. "She also said that she would respond by telling you to calm down."

Anakin groaned and buried his face into his hands.

"Anyway, as I was saying, Jabba hid us, but Jabba did not let us leave after the Sumni had left. At that time, Master Yoda was busy trying to shake the Sumni and return to us after Mara used the Force to tell him that we had a small problem. We met Chewbacca, Han's copilot in our cell and Chewie told us how he got in there and what had happened to Han. Han and Chewbacca had been trying to get a job and had gone to Jabba. Their first job went bad and so Jabba put Han into carbon freeze and put Chewie in a cell. They had been prisoners for five years when we arrived. To make a long story short, Yoda finally found and freed us and freed Han and Chewie. We hid in a deserted moister farm for a couple of days until it was safe enough to go back to the spaceport. Han and Chewie, with Yoda's help, managed to get their ship back and Han and Chewie transported us to Dantooine. They stayed with us after that."

"And never regretted it." Han added.

Anakin placed his hands on his knees and then stood up. "I'm going to see how they're doing in the kitchen."

"I don't think anything is burning yet." Leia remarked, smiling up at her father.

Anakin shrugged his shoulders and headed for the door. "You never know."

Leia watched the door slide shut behind her father and then looked up at Han. He misses her. If only he had returned a few years earlier."

Han hugged Leia closer to him and she laid her head against his chest. "But he didn't." Han smiled and played with a lock of Leia's hair. "Your wish came true. One of your parents will be attending your wedding."

"I wish mother was here so that she could attend too and my brother." Leia responded and then sighed. "I shouldn't be selfish, I'm sorry Han."

Han kissed Leia's forehead. "Don't be. I'm happy that you still have a parent that will be attending. Besides, your father is going to be my father-in-law. So in a way he's my father too."

"I love you, Han"

"I love you too princess."

Leia closed her eyes and enjoyed the moment. She opened her eyes a few seconds later when she remembered something. "Han, could you let me go for a second."

Han let her go and watched as she climbed out of bed and walked over to her travelbag and rummage through it. "What are you looking for?"

"Do you remember that small, decorated, wooden box that I kept and could never open?" Leia asked as she finally found what she was looking for.

"I remember. It was your mother's." Han responded.

"I believe mom would have wanted him to have it." Leia said, holding the box in her hand and running her fingers over the carvings.

Han walked over to Leia and laid his hands on her shoulders. "Go give it to him then. I'll go see if the meal is ready yet."

Leia nodded and left the bedroom. She found her father sitting on the steps outside and sat down beside him. "Father."

Anakin turned his head to look at his daughter, a forced smile on his lips.

Leia saw the dried tear tracks going down his cheeks and the sadness in his eyes and felt like crying herself. She handed Anakin the box, hoping that someone it would help her father. "This was mother's. I want you to have it. You need it more then I do right now." Tears brimmed in her eyes as she added, "I could never get the box open, perhaps you would know how."

Anakin accepted the box and looked down at it, brushing the carvings with the fingers of his real hand. Fresh tears threatened to escape his eyes. "I carved this box as a wedding present for your mother."

Leia hugged her father, kissed him on the cheek and then went back into the house.

As soon as he heard the door shut behind him, Anakin let his tears fall. He stood, with the box in his hands and walked over to the sea and stood a few feet away from the water. Sitting down, Anakin turned the box until he found the symbol he was looking for and brought it near his lips. "My beautiful angel."

There was a click as the tiny machinery responded to the phrase and to Anakin's voice and then a click later the lid to the box unlocked. Anakin set the box down at his side and opened the lid the rest of the way. Inside he saw some familiar objects. He withdrew the japor pendant that he had carved for Padme and pressed it against his chest. He could still feel Padme's linger presence on it. He took the second item out of the box, his padawan braid.

He placed the braid and the pendant back into the box and took out a small holo picture. He turned it on and saw their wedding picture appear. Fresh tears brimmed in his eyes. "I miss you so much, Padme." Anakin went to put it back into the box when he noticed that there was one more object in there. He withdrew it and put the holopicture back. Examining the last item, Anakin saw that it was a portable recording device. Curious, Anakin turned it on.

Padme appeared on the top of the recording device and Anakin noticed that she looked at lot older and tired. "Anakin, if you are watching this then I probably am one with the Force now. I don't know if you'll ever get this recording, or if you are even alive. I still hold hope that you are. I'm recording this in hopes that if you are alive and do find this that you will succeed where I failed, if it's not to late." The last part came out as a whisper and then Padme continued in a normal voice, although it sounded choked with tears. "I'm sure you have heard that your son, Luke, is dead. I have reason to believe that he is alive and serving the Emperor. He goes by the name Zanthis."

Anakin paused the recording and stared numbly at it. He felt like the air had been punched out of him. He couldn't breath. He tightly shut his eyes, he could feel the anger filling him. Heavy sobs shook his frame and he dropped the recording and put his face into his hands. "No. No it can't be true. Oh Ashla no. Not my son."


	13. So much pain

Lixion barely remembered the events that transpired since he first woke up to see Xanatos, to the time they entered hyperspace. His eyelids drooped as he felt unconsciousness beckon to him. He was so tired.

Xanatos looked over to him from the copilot's seat and smiled when he saw Lixion begin to nod off. Unbuckling himself, Xanatos unbuckled Lixion and picked him up to carry him to bed.

"I can walk." Lixion mumbled drowsily.

"You were stumbling like a drunk person coming out of a cantina all the way to the ship. Now you're half asleep. I think it would be best if I carried you." Xanatos responded.

Lixion mumbled something under his breath, but didn't bother to resist. By the time Xanatos had tucked him into bed, Lixion was fast asleep.

* * *

The Force swirled around Anakin, embracing him in its comforting presence. Tenderly the Force comforted him, like a mother would a child.

Anakin picked the recording device back up, his hand trembling as he pressed the button to continue the recording.

"There is more that you need to know." Padme paused for a couple of seconds and then continued. "When Luke was two years old he was kidnapped by the Sumni and brought to the Emperor. Two long months passed before Master Windu found where Luke was and was able to rescue him. The rescue went bad and Master Windu was killed, but Master Yoda and I were able to get to Luke before the Sumnii could catch him. Luke was very quite after we rescued him, he would rarely talk, if at all. Master Yoda and I tried everything we could to help Luke, but I can't help but feel that hadn't been enough. When the twins were three years old, we went into hiding on Melida/Daan. Luke started to come out of his protective shell a little as he got older, but he was still very withdrawn. Leia told me once that she thought that Luke talked a lot more with Cerasi then with anyone else. Perhaps Cerasi can get through to him. There is still good in Luke. Save him, Anakin. I love you." Padme blinked away a tear and smiled before the recording ended.

Anakin turned the recording device off and stared at the waves that came crashing onto the beach. "I will, Padme. I promise. I will save our son."

He placed the recording device in the box, and slowly closed the lid, listening as the small lock clicked as it locked. He wiped his face with his hands, picked the hand carved box up, and walked back to the beach house.

Anakin slowly walked up the wooden steps and entered the beach house and then headed for the kitchen. The smell of a home cooked meal made him aware that he was hungry, but he made no move to go to the table, instead he stopped in the doorway and watched the others eat.

Sensing Anakin's presence, Obi-Wan turned his head to the left to see why Anakin wasn't coming to the table.

Anakin shook his head, but when Obi-Wan's eyes narrowed, Anakin simply sighed and went to sit down in an empty seat between Obi-Wan and Leia at the head of the table.

Avoiding Obi-Wan's gaze, Anakin looked down at the plate of food and then he looked at the others around the table. Mara, who was sitting next to Obi-Wan, was focused on her food and appeared cold and distant. Han had his arms around Leia shoulders, and Leia was resting her head on Han's shoulder.

Anakin couldn't help but smile at the sight. "Leia, why don't you go on to bed?"

Leia wrinkled her nose and then opened her eyes to look at her father. She thought about trying to get out of going to bed, but then decided to concede instead.

Han gently squeezed Leia's shoulder and kissed her on the forehead. "That sounds like a good idea."

Leia slowly nodded and stood up.

Anakin stood up too after placing the box on the table and gave Leia a hug. "You'll sleep well."

"Thank you father." Leia replied, giving him a smile that reminded Anakin of Padme.

Anakin watched her exit the kitchen and then sat back down. Picking up his fork, Anakin took a bite of some kind of green vegetable. He tried not to make a face when he realized that it was cold.

Han finished the last bite of his meal and then wiped his mouth with his napkin. "I'm going to go work on the Falcon." He announced and then cleared Leia's and his dishes from the table before leaving the kitchen. Mara also, got up, cleared away her dishes and left the kitchen.

Obi-Wan shook his head as he watched Anakin eat. "You know you could heat that up."

Anakin shrugged his shoulders as he chewed and swallowed. "It's fine." He cut a small piece of meat and put it into his mouth to illustrate his point.

Obi-Wan drank the last of his glass of water and then set it down before looking at Anakin again. "What's wrong Anakin?"

Anakin slowly chewed the food in his mouth and then swallowed. "It's nothing."

Obi-Wan caught Anakin's gaze drift to the box before becoming fixed on his food again. "It has something to do with the box doesn't it?"

Putting his fork down, Anakin took the box in his hands and traced the carvings with his fingers. "I carved this for Padme; I designed it so that no one but Padme and I could open it. She kept my padawan braid in here, as well as the japor pendant that I carved for her, and our wedding picture." Fresh tears brimmed in his eyes as he thought about the last object.

"And?" Obi-Wan questioned, sensing that there was something else that was in the box."

"We kept our secrets hidden in here. It's a box full of secrets, of memories." Anakin continued. Taking a deep breath, Anakin used the Force to make sure that they were alone. "There was a recorded message from her in the box. She recorded it with hope that I'll see it."

Anakin looked up into Obi-Wan's eyes. "The Sith apprentice that attacked me before I was able to get on the ship…" Anakin paused and swallowed as a lump formed in his throat. "He's my son." He finished in a low voice.

Stunned, Obi-Wan was unable to form a suitable reply and so remained silent and instead sent soothing waves of the Force to Anakin.

Anakin accepted them and they sat in silence.

After ten minutes had passed, Obi-Wan stood up and cleared the rest of the table and washed and dried the dishes. When he was done, Obi-Wan turned around to see Anakin still sitting at the table with the box on his lap. "Why don't we go for a walk?" Obi-wan suggested.

Setting the box on the table, Anakin stood up and followed Obi-Wan out of the beach house. They walked a couple of minutes along the beach before Obi-Wan spoke. "You believe he can be saved?"

"Padme believed he can be saved. I also believe that he can be saved." Anakin responded.

Obi-Wan pressed his lips together in a thin line. He looked out at the ocean and then back at the seemingly endless stretch of beach. "Do you truly believe that, Anakin? Once someone walks down the path of the darkside it will dominate their destiny."

Anakin stopped walking and looked at Obi-Wan. "You're sounding like Yoda and yes I do believe that there is hope for him."

Obi-Wan inwardly flinched at the hard look that Anakin sent him. "Forgive me, Anakin for sounding pessimistic. It's just that my past experience with darksiders has left me doubtful that there is hope for those immersed in the darkside."

"I would have thought that by now you would have recognized that anything is possible." Anakin replied and looked out at the ocean, a salty breeze ruffling his blond hair that now had a few streaks of gray in it.

"They say that the older a person is the more set they are in their ways and beliefs." Obi-Wan responded.

Anakin snorted in disbelief. "Whoever said that was not a Jedi and you're not old."

Obi-Wan raised an almost completely gray eyebrow. "What age do you have to be in order to be considered old then?"

Anakin smirked, "Oh, a couple hundred years old."

"Very funny." Obi-Wan said with a serious look on his face and then he laughed. "You could be right, but I would be careful about saying that to those who are able to live more then a hundred years."

Shaking his head as he laughed, Anakin continued to walk along the beach.

They continued walking for several minutes before Obi-Wan spoke. "Does this change our plans?"

Anakin shook his head. "No. I think we should still meet with the rebel leaders and then head to Ilum. We are going to need a base, so we might as well continue as we had planned."

Obi-Wan smiled. "When did you stop being reckless?"

"Should I be?" Anakin asked, a smile on his face.

Obi-Wan chuckled. "To bad Yoda can't see you now. His reaction would have been priceless."

"He would probably think that something was wrong with me." Anakin remarked, his blue eyes sparkling.

"Or he would say that you have matured." Obi-Wan added.

Anakin sat down on the sand, and Obi-Wan sat down across from him. "I feel so tired, drained."

"I'm not surprised. We have learned a lot of shocking things since our return." Obi-Wan responded. "We should meditate some more and then, I believe it's time that we polish up on our lightsaber skills."

Anakin grinned. "That sounds like a good idea." Closing his eyes, Anakin fell into a meditation trance.

Taking a deep breath, Obi-Wan took in the smell of the salty sea air and then slowly followed Anakin into a meditation trance.

* * *

Xanatos sensed Lixion beginning to wake up and took the cup of tea off the warming unit and headed to the cabin Lixion was in. He entered the cabin just as Lixion was sitting up in bed. "Are you feeling better?"

Lixion massaged the sides of his head with his fingers and then closed his eyes as the light suddenly turned on. "Turn off the light." He groaned and laid back down, letting his head hit the plush pillow.

"Here, drink some of this tea, it will make your headache go away." Xanatos responded instead, standing at the side of the bed with the cup of tea in his hand.

Lixion slowly reopened his eyes and then studied the man warily before sitting up and accepting the tea. He grimaced at the bitter taste, but drank about half of it before handing it back to Xanatos.

Smiling, Xanatos took the half empty cup and put it on the nightstand. "Zeth, my son, would have thrown a fit before drinking it."

"Why did you do it?" Lixion asked.

The smile disappeared from Xanatos' face and he walked to the far end of the room. "There's…" He paused, took a deep breath and turned around to face Lixion. "It's a long story."

"I'm listening." Lixion told him.

"My father was once a Jedi Padawan under the tutelage of Master Qui-Gon Jinn. My father left the Jedi Order after his own father was killed by his master. My mother met my father while on a trading run and they later got married. It wasn't a healthy marriage and so when I was two years old my mother filed for a divorce. My father died about a year or two later.

When I was fifteen years old the ship we were on was boarded by pirates. I narrowly escaped, but not before seeing my mother shot. I wasn't sure what happened to my sister, but I could feel that she was still alive. A week later, after I had found a new place to sleep on the world I had landed on, I had a visitor. The spirit of Master Qui-Gon Jinn. He helped me to survive on my own and he also instructed me in the Jedi arts.

Every time I was on a different planet, I would try to sense my sister's presence, but I was not successful in my attempts. I finally located her almost eighteen years ago, but when I found her she was dieing. There was nothing I could do. Before she died she told me that she had bore a son two days ago, but Palpatine stole him away. Palpatine had sent his guards to dispose of her, but she managed to barely escape. She also told me who the father was just before she passed on. Palpatine's guards and a squad of troops found us only minutes after my sister died and I was forced to run, but not before destroying half of them in anger.

Not long afterwards a bounty was put on my head, and Darth Magnus himself was on the hunt for me. I went into hiding and a few years later met my future wife. Once the search died down, my wife and I settled on a planet in the outer rim where I continued to improve my skills in the Force and made plans to rescue my sister's son."

Realization slowly began to dawn on Lixion's face as he figured out where this was leading to. "I'm your sister's son." A mass of emotions bubbled up in Lixion before one emerged. "Eighteen years!" Lixion exploded angrily. "It took you eighteen years!"

Xanatos' face was a mask of calm at Lixion's outburst. "Lixion, rescuing someone takes time, and depends on a lot of factors. I do regret that it took so long, but it wasn't easy."

"Yeah, you got a family." Lixion sneered in disgust.

Xanatos frowned and looked Lixion directly in the eyes and took a step forward. "I'll have you know that I have not seen my family in three years. Finding you was still a high objective for me."

Lixion snorted and turned away from Xanatos' gaze. "Sure it was."

Taking a deep calming breath, Xanatos attempted to release his irritation into the Force. "Look, I know that your still…"

Lixion turned around on the bed, his face red with anger, with unshed tears in his eyes. "You don't know!" Lixion interrupted. "You don't know what it feels like to be helpless as you hear about your impending death. To sense the danger, but be unable to move, shout, or open your eyes. You don't know the torture I have been through!" Angry hot tears roiled down Lixion's red cheeks and he turned away. "Leave me alone!"

Xanatos slowly nodded his head and complied. "I'll be in the cockpit if you need anything."

Lixion heard the door slide shut as Xanatos departed and then punched the pillow with his fist and threw it across the room. He clenched his teeth and curled his hands into fists as he struggled not to break down and cry. He would not be weak.

* * *

Magnus stormed into his quarters in a full blown rage. Someone had helped Lixion escape and no one had been able to offer a piece of useful information. "Someone is going to pay for this." Magnus snarled and stormed over to the pits that he had installed. Magnus opened the cover of the pit Zanthis was in and Force pulled Zanthis' unconscious body out of the hole and dropped him onto the floor.

Pleased that his little pets had done the job, Magnus through some meat pellets into both of the holes and then closed them. Looking down at Zanthis, Magnus gestured with his hand and Force dragged Zanthis behind him to the special chamber of the ship where Magnus could continue to break Zanthis.

The room was furnished with various computers, chemicals, needles and other devices that would help Magnus complete his task.

After laying Zanthis down on the metal table with the Force, Magnus then locked Zanthis' wrists and ankles to the table. Next he administered the antidote, followed by an injection of a powerful drug that would cause Zanthis to hallucinate and be unable to use the Force effectively.

"You are a hard one to break young one. Oh but you will soon. It is useless to resist." Magnus stood behind Zanthis head and placed his cold fingers on Zanthis' forehead. Closing his eyes, Magnus drew on the darkside and then began to make a crack in Zanthis' mental shields so that he could slip into Zanthis' mind.

Magnus heard Zanthis' mental screams as he broke though the layers of shielding. Magnus mentally smirked in satisfaction. /Boy, if you would just remove the block you have placed in front of your true potential then you would be able to resist me. But no, you would rather be weak./ Magnus found the block he was searching for and threw the darkside at it, attempting to break open the block.

Even through the constant barrage of the darkside, the block remained strong. How Zanthis had managed to block his true potential and still be able to maintain the block, Magnus had no idea and that just infuriated him further. Not only was the block keeping Zanthis from using his true potential, but it was keeping him from being fully immersed in the darkside.

He had told Palpatine that Zanthis' capture was to easy and it turned out that he was right. Zanthis had it almost perfectly planned for a ten year old. What else had the boy done that they were not aware of? This question only enraged Magnus further and he poured more of the darkside into Zanthis' mind and to the very core of Zanthis' being.

The swirling mass of light and darkness appeared before Magnus' mental vision and then his vision momentarily went blank as his essence was thrown backwards by a strong surge of power. Even the boy's body and mind was weakened by the drug and the toxin, the boy's spirit was still strong, and was still filled with light. The darkness was expelled by the light, but the darkness formed a shield around the light.

The sight was fascinating, but Magnus was to angry to see that, and to see that somehow the darkness and the light were working together. He poured the darkside at the boy's spirit, but it merely made the shield of the darkside thicker instead of the darkness squeezing the light out.

After endless hours had past, Magnus changed his objective and worked on making the shield stronger so that the light could never escape. Once he completed that task, Magnus traveled back to the block in Zanthis' mind and once again attempted to remove it, but it was even stronger then ever.

A feeling of dread uncoiled inside Magnus' stomach as he felt a shifting in the Force. Zanthis was waking up.

Magnus removed himself quickly from Zanthis' mind just in time to see Zanthis' eyes open. A fiery orange color had replaced the blue in Zanthis' eyes and was so bright that Magnus took a step back before walking to the side of the table, watching Zanthis carefully.

Something was not right. Whatever it was, Magnus couldn't pinpoint it. He looked at Zanthis who was staring back at him and again Magnus felt a feeling of dread.

Zanthis closed his eyes, and when he opened them a minute later, they were a hard, cold, blue. "What happened?" Zanthis rasped out.

Quickly regaining his composure, although still shaken, Magnus responded. "Lixion attempted to kill you by injecting large amounts of a drug into your body after you both returned to the ship. I found you just in time, but Lixion escaped, you're lucky to be alive."

Zanthis frowned as he attempted to remember what had happen, but his mind felt clouded. "I can only remember our return to the ship."

Giving a sympathetic smile, Magnus laid his hand on Zanthis' shoulder. The drugs must have caused mild amnesia. I wouldn't worry to much about it. What matters now is that you're alive. Now rest."

Closing his eyes, Zanthis took a deep breath and slowly let it out and let sleep claim him.

Satisfied, Magnus left the room to go contact the Emperor.


	14. Trouble

**Chapter 13**

Feeling well rested after a couple hours of sleep, Leia took a hot relaxing shower, put her hair up into a bun, and put on a comfortable shirt and pant's. She went outside where she saw Han sitting on the steps and watching something. Leia sat down next to him and looked where Han was looking.

"They've been dueling for about an hour now." Han informed her and looked at her. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes. It was nice to sleep with no visions or dreams."

Han wrapped his arm around Leia and she rested her head on his shoulder. "Good."

"So who do you think is winning?" Leia asked.

Han looked back at the distant forms of Anakin and Obi-Wan and shrugged. "I have no idea. I'm surprised Mara hasn't joined them yet. She enjoys a good challenge."

Leia nodded her head. "Yes, she does."

"This little vacation has been nice. We should stay longer." Han remarked, looking at Leia.

Leia rolled her eyes and lifted her head to look at Han. "You know perfectly well, that trouble seems to find us whenever things start feeling very peaceful."

"Must be a Skywalker trait." Han teased, and looked back over at the two dueling Jedi. "Your father has a knack for it."

Leia looked in time to see her father land backwards into the water and then stand up in time to encounter the next wave of cold seawater while Obi-Wan stood a few feet away and still dry. Leia laughed and laughed even more when her father retaliated by using the Force to send a huge spray of water at Obi-Wan. The lightsaber duel became a water fight and soon Obi-Wan was drenched too.

"That looks like fun." Leia commented.

"Count me out of it. They have the Force on their side." Han responded.

Leia looked at him in astonishment and then stood up. "Fine then."

Han let her walk a few feet away from the house and then ran to catch up to her. "Hey, I was kidding. Of course I'll join in."

* * *

Mara ran through the dense foliage, flipped over fallen trees and swung from vines as she did an exercise run through the woods. The Force flowed with and around her as she ran, whispering to her things hidden and seen. The Force soothed her mind from troubled thoughts and helped her to relax and release her negative emotions into the Force and letting peace take their place.

After running some number of miles, Mara began to slow down and an hour later she came to a stop near a small clearing. Her sweat covered shirt clung to her skin and beads of sweat dripped down her face. Taking off the bag that was on her back she took out a towel and dried her face, neck and arms. After doing that, Mara put the towel back into the bag and pulled out a bottle of water and slowly sipped from it.

Feeling refreshed, Mara slung the bag back onto her back and continued on, at a walk, into the clearing. The warm sun felt good on her skin as she sat down on a rock and relaxed, soaking in the heat.

It was peaceful here, deep in the woods. The birds flew around and chirped, the sounds of animals were distant and non-threatening. For now, everything was calm, but something was missing and that threatened the peace Mara had momentarily found.

The empty spot where Luke's presence used to be became more noticeable and it was almost like something was screaming at her from far away. Mara shook her head and attempted to meditate, but the feeling did not go away. Irritated, Mara stood up, placed her bag on the ground and went into the middle of the clearing to do a couple of katas. Keeping busy seemed to be the only way to forget about the empty spot, to drown out the phantom cries.

Zanthis returned to his quarters after he had slept for a few hours and headed straight to the refresher for a much needed shower. As he washed himself under the hot streams of water, Zanthis' tense muscles began to relax and his mind clear.

_Magnus is a liar._

Zanthis shrugged his shoulders as he scrubbed at his left arm with the soapy washrag. "Of course he is. What do you want me to do about it?"

There was a sound that sounded like a cross between a choke and a sneeze. _What to do? You should thrash the life out of him!_

"That is not an option." Luke calmly answered as he rinsed the soap off his body and let himself simply enjoy the water.

_Oh but you would like to do that. You could if you would just remove that mental barrier and…_

Zanthis frowned. "I will do no such thing! Now be silent!"

There was a gurgling sound and Zanthis felt pressure at the base of his skull. _I will not be silent!_

Turning the water off, Zanthis left the shower and grabbed a towel to begin drying off. "Would you like me to kill myself?" He suggested in a serious voice.

_You wouldn't, you haven't completed your mission yet._ The voice went silent for a few seconds and then continued, _One can hardly call it being successful so far. Afterall, you failed to save your mother. In fact…_

"Enough!" Zanthis shouted as he left the refresher and headed for his dresser to put on some clean clothes. Tears pricked at his eyes as he put on his clothes. Once Zanthis finished getting dressed he laid down on his bed.

_That memory hurts, doesn't it? Even though part of your mission failed, you still want to continue it. Incredible._

Anger boiled within Zanthis and he closed his eyes, trying to regain his calm.

_Muddle, fuddle, tuddle, suddle, cruddle, wruddle, suddle, spuddle. Mire, fire, spire, cire, tire, ire, lyre, pyre, dyre. Kosume, tesume, resume, delude, jeblue..._

The voice continued onward, relishing the pain it caused as Zanthis' thoughts became confused and his head throbbed to the point where Zanthis thought it would explode. Tears fell from Zanthis eyes and beads of sweat formed on his forehead as a fever began to rage.

A small tremor rippled in the Force and grew bigger as the disturbance grew. Mara's eyes snapped open and she ended the kata she had been doing by stepping into a defensive posture.

Stretching out with her senses, Mara located the source and she spun around to face it as it came barreling into the clearing.

The source of the disturbance, a young male child about ten years old came to a complete stop a few feet away from her. He was breathing heavily and he was also carrying a small child on his back. The child looked scared, like he was being hunted.

The Force screamed at her in warning, and that was when she finally sensed the children's pursuers. The Wrossks. Mara instantly sprang into action. She leapt into the air and landed behind the children. "Find some cover!" she ordered the older child. The child obeyed and began to run to the other side of the clearing. Mara sensed the invisible Wrossks begin to surround her and she pushed them all away with a powerful Force push.

The Wrossks that recovered first, fired several bolts of deadly energy at Mara, only to have them reflected back. Five Wrossks fell, their lifeless bodies becoming visible.

Two of the Wrossks, holding odd staffs in their hands, charged Mara from behind. Mara leapt into the air, sliced the staffs in half with her lightsaber and slammed her feet into their faces and then used the momentum and the Force to make her fly into the air, blocking bolts of energy as she went and landed behind a Wrossk that she sensed was the leader. Her lightsaber hit its mark, killing the Wrossk.

For a moment there was a stillness and then the fury of hell broke lose as they all at once attempted to attack Mara.

Mara gracefully countered every attack, letting the Force guide her movements. In the Force, the Wrossks were a dark mass of swirling energy. The weapons they used pulsed with a sick yellow-green glow. She could sense their hatred and bloodlust, rolling off of them in waves.

Mara cried out as a staff caught her in the arm, drawing blood. Whirling around, she sliced the head off of the Wrossk that had the staff and then blocked some more energy bolts from behind.

The Wrossks began to retreat and Mara let them go. Turning off her lightsaber, Mara sank to the ground. Black spots danced in front of her eyes, and for a few moments she felt incredibly weak. Closing her eyes, Mara took in a few deep breaths and then opened them to see the children she had saved looking at her.

"Are you alright?" The oldest boy asked.

"I'll be fine." Mara answered as she slowly stood up and went over to her pack. She pulled out her bottle of water and took a few sips. After refreshing herself, Mara, took out a small medkit from her pack and began to treat the wound on her arm "What are your names?"

"I'm Zeth and this is my little brother, Kyp." Zeth adjusted Kyp on his back who still had a firm grip around Zeth's neck. "We were traveling with our mother and were attacked by the Wrossks while we were in orbit around the planet. Our mother told us to get to the escape pod and get to safety. We crash-landed in the forest and then got as far away from the pod as possible. The Wrossk tracked us down anyway. We managed to hide from them, but they found us, so we ran and then bumped into you."

_He's surprisingly calm about this._ Mara probed the outside of Zeth's mind and found impressive shielding for a child his age, however, Mara could still sense the tumult of emotions under Zeth's shielding. _That's not healthy, but we can't have him breaking down now. The Wrossks will be back and in a larger number._

Tying the makeshift bandage around her arm, Mara put her stuff back into the bag and picked it up. "Are you up to more running?"

Zeth nodded his head. "I can."

"Here let me carry your brother." Mara said as adjusted the pack on her back and reached for Kyp.

Kyp clung stubbornly to Zeth, whimpering when Mara finally got him to lose his hold on Zeth.

"Don't worry, Kyp," Zeth tried to reassure his brother, "She's going to help us."

"Alright, let's go!" Mara told Zeth and broke into a run back to the beach house. She ran just fast enough where Zeth could keep up, but they were going too slow. Grabbing her comlink from the belt she attempted to contact Leia, but got no response. _Calm, I need to be calm._ already she could sense the Wrossks moving through the jungle toward them. _This wouldn't be a problem if I didn't have kids to protect._

An idea struck her a few minutes later and Mara sent out a call through the Force. _If they haven't sensed the danger already then they know about it now._ Mara could hear Zeth's heavy breathing as he tried to keep up. _He's worn out already, how long have they been pursued for?_

"How much further?" Zeth asked.

"We have a couple of miles to go." Mara responded.

A few minutes later, Mara heard Zeth trip and fall down. Slowing down, Mara turned around and ran back over to Zeth. "Are you all right?"

Tears sparkled in Zeth's eyes, but his face remained passive as he stood back up. "I'm fine."

"Sit down, we'll rest here for a little bit." Mara told Zeth.

Zeth complied, but looked nervously back the way they had come.

_What do I say?_ Deciding not to say anything, Mara stretched out with the Force and sensed Anakin and Obi-Wan's presences approaching. Mara smiled and opened her eyes. "Help is on the way." Mara sat down next to Zeth and Zeth snuggled up to her.

Mara wrapped her free arm around Zeth, thankful that she given his little brother a light sleep suggestion.

Several minutes passed by before Mara heard the distant sound of a speeder coming down the path. Standing up, Mara looked down the path and saw a speeder approaching and then braked suddenly, causing the speeder to jolt.

"Anakin!" Obi-Wan's irritated voice exclaimed.

Mara couldn't help but smile and then looked down at Zeth. "Come on, our ride's here."

Zeth stood up and followed Mara to the speeder.

Obi-Wan got out of the speeder and helped Mara and Zeth get inside. "We got here as soon as we could."

Zeth buckled himself and then asked, "How are we going to turn around? The speeder is to big."

Anakin laughed. "Watch and learn kid. Hold on tight."

Obi-Wan managed to get buckled up in the backseat just before Anakin used the Force to tilt the speeder up onto its back, turn it around, and bring it down.

Zeth's eyes were as wide as saucers and Obi-Wan just groaned during the maneuver.

After turning the speeder around, Anakin put the speeder into full throttle and they sped away.

Mara relaxed in the seat in relief and looked at Kyp who was still sleeping against her breast. The children were going to be safe now.

* * *

Xanatos leaned back in the pilot's chair and closed his eyes. He listened to the steady thrum of the ship's engine and began to drift off to sleep.

"You have done well."

Xanatos smiled when he heard the familiar voice of his Master. "It was your teachings and guidance, Master."

Qui-Gon smiled. "Yes, but you have also learned a lot without my help."

Opening his eyes, Xanatos looked to his right where Qui-Gon was sitting on the copilot's seat. "That is true. So why are you here?"

"I have a small assignment for you." Qui-Gon told him.

Xanatos frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. "Whatever it is I'm sure it can wait, Master. I haven't seen my family in a long time. Force, I haven't seen my youngest child yet. Plus, I have Lixion to think about."

Qui-Gon's face was a mask of stony resolve. "I understand, but this assignment can't wait. In fact, it's vital."

"I said no. I am going home." Xanatos responded, looking away from Qui-Gon.

"Lives are at stake, Xanatos."

"Do you think you have interfered enough?" Xanatos asked, mild annoyance in his voice.

"I am only following the will of…"

"I know, I know." Xanatos interrupted. With a heavy sigh, he made his decision. "What is the assignment?"


	15. Chapter 15

Leia finished putting the luggage away in the _Falcon_ and then went into the cockpit where Han was warming the _Falcon_ up. When she entered the cockpit, she noticed Han looking intently at a display on the console. "What's wrong?"

"The Sumnii are barricading the planet." Han shook his head and looked at Leia. "It's overkill. No major trade happens on this planet and it is barely populated. Why send so many ships and barricade the planet?"

Leia frowned and looked at the display. "You're right. Something is very wrong here." Leia sat down in the copilot's seat and closed her eyes. Stretching out to the Force, she fell into it flowed along the currents. Through the Force, Leia saw everything around her differently. She could hear the tiny thrum of the _Falcon's_ engines, the beating of Han's heart.

She stretched her senses beyond the ship to the surrounding area and reached up into space to where the enemy ships were located. Black tendrils of malice snaked in and out the ships and a cold feeling threatened to envelope Leia. The stream of light, Leia was on shifted and warmed even more as it warded off the dark.

The darkness parted before Leia and she was able to penetrate one of the ships. For a moment she paused, listening to the Force as it spoke in a thousand voices and then urged her in the right direction.

Leia continued on, the voices in the Force growing louder and louder with every step. The stream of light she traveled on began to tremble as the dark fought against it and then she found that she couldn't move any farther, the only way she could go was back the way she had come.

Instead of backing down, Leia drew upon the light and threw it against the dark barrier, but the barrier refused to yield. Again, and again, Leia pushed against the dark with the light, but every time it proved fruitless. After trying to break past the barrier one last time, the dark slammed into her and she fell backwards.

With a loud gasp, Leia snapped out of her trance.

"Are you alright?" Han asked in concern.

Leia slowly nodded, her face pale.

Han touched her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze and Leia gave him a weak smile in return. "What did you see, Leia?"

"I didn't see that much, but whatever the reason for them being here, it's not good." Leia answered.

* * *

Anakin stopped the speeder near the _Falcon_ and then jumped out. Walking to the other side of the speeder, he took Kyp from Mara. "I'll get the kids into the _Falcon_. We'll be ready to go as soon as your ship is ready. Obi-Wan will go with you."

Mara exited the speeder and nodded. "That won't take to long. I'll take the lead." Mara responded and hurried off to her ship.

Obi-Wan lifted Zeth out of the speeder and then hopped out to go follow Mara.

With his free hand, Anakin took Zeth's hand and they boarded the _Falcon_.

Leia was waiting for them as they came up the ramp. "The _Falcon_ is ready to go."

"Good." Anakin answered and handed Kyp to Leia. "Get the kids strapped in, I'll be in the cockpit."

Cuddling Kyp in her arms, Leia closed the boarding ramp and then looked at Zeth. "I'm Leia, what's your name?" She asked gently.

"I'm Zeth, and that's my brother, Kyp."

"It's nice to meet you, Zeth. Let's go get you guys buckled in." She took Zeth's hand and they walked over to some takeoff seats.

Kyp began to wake up as Leia strapped him in and when Leia had fastened the last strap, Kyp began to cry.

Zeth, who wasn't strapped in yet, sat down on the seat and took his little brother's hands. "It's going to be okay, Kyp."

Leia sent soothing waves of the Force to Kyp, and he began to calm down. "Zeth, I'm going to give your brother a light sleep suggestion, okay?"

"I guess." Zeth responded, a little uncertain.

Leia smiled as she gave Kyp a sleep suggestion. "It will be alright, Zeth. Now let's get you strapped in."

Just as Leia tightened the last strap the ship shuddered as it took off. Seconds later the ship jolted to the side. Leia gave Zeth a reassuring squeeze of his hand and then ran to the cockpit.

* * *

"Shields are down 97." Anakin told Han.

Han frowned and banked the ship hard to the right as enemy fighters shot a volley of deadly energy at them. "And we're not even off the planet yet. Hold on." Han said as he sent the ship into a roll to the left as he continued to attempt to reach space.

The _Flame of Jade_ dived back down and shot down two of the fighters before beginning its ascent again.

"You would think that your ship had a sign on it that said 'shoot me'." Mara remarked through the comm. system.

"Maybe they have something against the design." Han answered, looking behind him briefly when he heard the cockpit door open.

"Or they are trying to split us up." Leia added as she sat down in an empty seat behind Han.

The two ships flew side by side and then broke away in opposite directions as some more enemy fighters appeared.

"No kidding." Han responded and tilted the ship to the side to avoid more fire.

As suddenly as the enemy fighters had appeared they headed back into space.

Anakin frowned and contacted Obi-Wan through their bond /They're baiting us./

/So it seems. But why wait until we're in space? Wouldn't it be easier to destroy us while we're still in the atmosphere?/ Obi-Wan asked. /This didn't happen at all where we were./

/No, but if you think about it there were no Sith where we were./

/So that means the Sith still have some measure of control./ Obi-Wan said thoughtfully.

/For now, yes, I believe so./ Anakin answered.

/All right then, so what do you think they are up to?/

/I honestly have no idea./ Anakin admitted. /It can't be good whatever it is./

"Here they come again." Han announced as they exited the atmosphere and encountered three squadrons of fighters.

Anakin snapped his attention back to the situation at hand. "Han, why don't you and Leia go man the turrents. I'll take over the flying."

Han did a corkscrew dive and then turned the ship up sharply before letting Anakin take over.

Taking over the controls, Anakin flew the ship in a gigantic circle and then leveled it out. Up ahead, Anakin could see several star destroyers and at least four Sommins. "This could get interesting." Anakin said under his breath as the Sommins approached. Pressing the comm. button, Anakin issued and order. "Mara, don't let the fighters drive you toward the Sommins! Head for the destroyers instead!"

"Like we have a choice." Mara responded in irritation as she destroyed two more fighters.

A chill filled Anakin as he spied something dark, nearly invisible if only it didn't block out the stars, appear in front of them. "This is very bad."

* * *

Zanthis strode onto the bridge, his black cape flowing behind him as he walked. Up ahead Magnus was standing in front of the veiwport, his hands clasped behind his back.

Sensing Zanthis approach, Magnus spoke. "We are heading back to Coruscant. The Emperor has returned there and has commanded us to meet with him."

Zanthis nodded and stood beside Magnus. "Has there been any sighting of the Jedi yet?"

"No. They have remained elusive. Lixion has also been evasive. Apparently he had some help in his escape." Magnus turned his head to look at Zanthis when there was no reaction or response. His eyes gleaming with suspicion, Magnus asked, "I would think you would be eager to see him captured and executed?"

"The Jedi are our first priority." Zanthis answered, his face passive. "The Emperor would agree with me."

Magnus looked back out the veiwport, a frown on his face. Finding the Jedi were a high priority, yes, but he wished that Zanthis would make finding Lixion his first priority instead. The Emperor was not going to be pleased.

* * *

Zeth squeezed his eyes closed and covered his ears with his hands, but there was nothing he could do to shut out the noise of the battle going on outside the ship and to stop feeling the ship roll as it dodged missiles and the ship was pounded by laser blasts.

The ship shudder violently and Zeth hoped they were entering hyperspace, but that was not the case as he heard a screech as the ship grazed something. He heard someone curse loudly and Zeth opened his eyes to see a guy climb down the ladder where the turrents were located and run to the cockpit.

Zeth wrapped his arms tightly around himself and bit down on his lower lip. He felt sick to his stomach and he struggled not to cry. A whimper managed to escape his lips as a particularly hard jolt sent the ship careening sharply to the left.

A console, in the area he was in, exploded as it short-circuited and flames began to lick hungrily at it. He heard heavy thuds against metal and looked in time to see Leia climb out of the turret room and then grab a small fire extinguisher to put out the fire.

An explosion came from where the turrents were just as Leia put out the fire. Leia turned to look where she had just come from, her face pale. Hurriedly putting the fire extinguisher back, Leia headed for the cockpit.

Zeth looked at his baby brother, still asleep, unaware of what was happening around him. Unbuckling himself, Zeth left the safety of his seat and stumbled toward the cockpit as the ship shuddered around him.

A short distance from the cockpit door, Zeth could hear shouting coming from inside.

"We've lost weapon control!"

"Reroute power from the weapons to the shields!" A man ordered.

"They have the transports coming from the planet trapped!"

"There's nothing we can do about that, we would still have to break free of the perimeter if we were to go and help them."

"There has to be something…."

Zeth missed the rest that was said as he was slammed into the opposite wall as some kind of wave swept through the ship. Falling onto the floor, Zeth laid there, dazed and aching all over.

"What in the nine corellian hells was that!" A man's voice exclaimed.

That was the last thing Zeth heard as he fell into unconsciousness.

* * *

Xanatos swore loudly when he saw the battle taking place around the planet. Double-checking to make sure that the cloak was still in place, Xanatos attempted to come up with the plan. From his readouts, he could see that the friendly ships were heavily outnumbered.

"They need an escape route, but what can one ship do against hundreds of enemy ships?" The answer easily came to him, but he was unsure if he could accomplish it enough so that it would be significant.

Taking a deep breath, Xanatos put his trust into the Force and closed his eyes. He gathered the Force around himself and shaped it into a ball of pure light. He continued the process, making the gathered energy of the Force grow. It would be tricky doing this inside a ship, and even trickier to send it into the enemy ships. He wouldn't be able to do what he was about to do for very long and so he hoped that the friendly ships would quickly see the opportunity and get out of there.

Once he reached the limit to which he was able to hold the massive amount of pure Force energy that now engulfed his ship, Xanatos directed the energy to the enemy ships. As he was doing this, Xanatos felt another presence join him in his efforts, and then another one, and then one other, this one shone even more brightly in the Force than the other presences.

Together they caused the light to confuse and frighten the enemy while they let the friendly ships escape. One by one the transports got passed the enemy ships and entered hyperspace until only two ships were left.

When the last two ships finally jumped to hyperspace, the presences that had joined Xanatos disappeared. Xanatos quickly reoriented himself and sent his ship into hyperspace before the enemy could recover.

Xanatos relaxed once they were safely in hyperspace. That had been an interesting mission and he was curious about the Force presences he had felt aid him. Shaking his head, Xanatos smiled. Whoever they were, they were safe now and now he could go home to his wife and children.

* * *

Zeth jerked awake as he sensed something familiar, but then it disappeared as the ship jumped to hyperspace. Standing up on wobbly legs, Zeth entered the cockpit. When he saw Leia, Zeth walked over to her and she picked him up and sat him on her lap.

"You should have stayed buckled in until we told you it is okay to get unbuckled." Leia lightly scolded as Zeth laid his head on her chest and closed his eyes.

"Sorry. Was afraid." Zeth mumbled.

Leia gave him a gentle squeeze and rubbed soothing circles on his back. "We're safe now. There is nothing to be afraid of."

Tears escaped Zeth's eyes as he nodded. Feeling safe and secure in Leia's arms, Zeth let go of his bottled up emotions and began to cry.

Anakin silently watched as Leia comforted Zeth and then a few minutes later he looked back at the flashing lights on the console and then at the datascreen that was revealing the results of the ship's diagnostic.

"She's in bad shape, but we should be able to make it to base." Han pointed at the screen that listed some damaged systems. "We should get to work fixing this one first."

Anakin nodded in agreement. "I agree." Unbuckling himself, Anakin stood up and left the cockpit, followed by Han.


	16. Chapter 16

"I'm surrounded by incompetents!" Warlord Xectur shouted, throwing a datapad at a wall where it shattered from the force of the impact. He glared at the messenger who was bowing before him. In less than a blink of an eye, a tentacle shot from Warlord Xectur's body and struck the messenger, killing him instantly. The tentacle withdrew back into Warlord Xectur's body and he turned and stormed out of the room and down a corridor.

Minutes later, Warlord Xectur was in a hidden chamber where a lone Sumne was busy working on something. "Topaok!"

Topaok looked up from the liquid he was working with, a knowing glint in his eyes. "They're still alive."

Warlord Xectur hissed, restraining himself from killing the master Molder. "They've survived everything that we have thrown at them! They have no right to still be alive!"

Topaok calmly looked back down at the simmering liquid in the pot and stirred the solution with a wooden stick. "They are indeed strong mortals, but they cannot cheat death forever." Topaok carefully withdrew a few drops of the solution with a beaker and used the beaker to add the green liquid into the water dish of some kind of furry rodent. "There are many kinds of poisons and there are many ways poison can kill."

A dangerous smile crept onto Topaok's face as he watched the rodent drink the liquid and then begin to convulse. "Fear is poison for the Jedi, but these Jedi, they know how to conquer their fears, even in the face of death."

Warlord Xectur scowled. "Get to the point!"

Topaok opened a drawer and searched for a datapad that held a possible answer to end their troubles. Finding the datapad, Topaok turned it on and handed it to his Master. "Look at the results from the blood tests. I believe you will find it very interesting."

Warlord Xectur took it and scanned its contents and then read its contents carefully the second time. A sinister smile crept up his face. "Yes, this will do nicely."

"The Skywalker child is a great asset to us, but, if I may, offer a word of caution?" Topaok responded, his head cocked to the side as he looked at his Master.

"Speak." Xectur answered.

"The Skywalker child can't do very much thanks to my little…" Topaok paused, his lips forming into a sick smile. "My little, genetically engineered, venomous, parasite." Topaok told his Master. "However," Topaok frowned, "he cannot be underestimated. He is clever and manipulative. He has been plotting against us for years, trying to prevent us from succeeding in our plan to dominate the galaxy."

Xectur hissed, clearly unhappy. "If your new parasite is as affective as you boast then we should have nothing to fear from this Skywalker child, despite his attempts to undermine our work. Your….creature has been affective in the past."

"Everything has a flaw of some kind." Topaok defended himself. "To rely on something fully is never wise. I am proud of my creations, but I am also wary of them. The success of the parasites does not guarantee victory, something we know from experience."

"We were the victors!" Xectur responded angrily, throwing the datapad at Topaok who easily caught it. "Leaving Joruss in charge of things was a mistake. This time, I will make sure things are done right and completely!" With that said, he stormed out of the room.

Xectur headed straight for the ceremonial chamber that was in the center of the former Jedi Temple. Entering the chamber they had built for their rituals, the Warlord stepped over a stream of a dark greenish liquid that flowed from one end of the chamber to the other. He ascended a few steps to an altar and then turned around and knelt to the ground, his head bowed.

Sanic, the ruler of all the Sumnii, rose out of the stream of liquid in a black and purple gaseous form and then his face became solid while the rest of his body remained gaseous. "Lixion has escaped our reach."

"He will be found and terminated, my Master." Xectur vowed. "A search is also underway for the two Jedi."

"These Jedi are not to be underestimated. They have grown strong during their time away and have grown in experience." Sanic reminded Xectur. "Lixion must not come into contact with the Jedi!"

"I understand, my Master. We will find him before that happens." Xectur responded, determination in his voice.

"See that you do." Sanic told him and then his face morphed back into its gaseous form and he drifted back into the stream.

* * *

"_What did you see?" Lixion asked Zanthis as he picked up his small glass of red wine to take a sip._

_Zanthis finished sipping at his wine and then placed the half full glass on the coffee table. "The Sumnii." His eyes looked haunted as he finally looked at Lixion. "They are plotting to take over the entire galaxy unless someone stops them."_

_Lixion snorted and set his glass of wine on the coffeetable. "That's not going to happen. The Emperor has them under his control."_

"_Does he really?" Zanthis shook his head. "Lixion, we're underestimating the Sumnii, and that is going to be our downfall. Since they first entered our galaxy, they've been plotting to take it over."_

"_You're being paranoid." Lixion responded. "Just because you have a personal grievance against them doesn't mean that they are plotting something."_

"_Am I?" Zanthis asked, raising an eyebrow. "My visions have never been wrong before."_

_Lixion took a sip from his own wine and then looked at Zanthis. "That doesn't mean that this new one will come to pass. Next you'll be saying that you're the voice of the Force."_

_Zanthis rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't go that far. "The Force grants me these visions for a reason, therefore I will make use of them."_

"_Just because you have visions of possible future events does not mean that you have to go and try to alter those events." Lixion responded. "What if your attempt to alter the future brings your vision to pass?"_

"_Visions are meant to be taken seriously." Zanthis told Lixion and took a sip of his wine. _

"_Perhaps, but all visions may not be of the Force. It could just be some fear in your unconscious mind that is revealing itself that looks like an actual vision." Lixion argued._

"_You could be right." Zanthis admitted. "But what if I told you that I have actual proof of the plot?"…_

Lixion's eyelids snapped open and he took a deep breath as he analyzed the memory and the other memories that had become unblocked. Lixion sat up on his bed and, with a wave of his hand, turned the lights on. Closing his eyes, Lixion focused on the bond he had with Zanthis and opened it up. /Zanthis, phase one has been successful./ There was a long silence before there was a response.

/Good. I was wondering whether you had heard me give the single that would remove the block from those specific memories./ Zanthis mentally responded.

/Well, my near death probably didn't help that much. Why couldn't you have had a vision of Magnus attempting to kill me so I could have a little warning?/ Lixion asked.

Zanthis chuckled. /You know perfectly well that I would have blocked that memory too if I did have a vision of that and told you./

Lixion slowly shook his head. /You just have to have an answer to everything. So what's the next step?/

/Go to Ilum, you will know what to do once you get there. Be cautious, the Sumnii have placed a large bounty on your head and are sending numerous ships out in search of you. Make sure you are not followed to Ilum./ Zanthis instructed.

/Lovely,/ Lixion muttered. /I guess it's to late to try a different plan?/

/You would still be a target regardless of what plan we used./ Zanthis responded.

Lixion gave a heavy sigh. /Yeah. How are things on your end?/

/Not to bad. The Sumnii are watching me a little more closely now. Magnus still remains oblivious./ Zanthis reported.

/You sound tired./ Lixion said as he picked up on the weariness that leaked into the bond.

/I'll be fine./ Zanthis responded and then paused for a few seconds before continuing. /Lixion, if the Sumnii do succeed in taking control of me, you know what must be done. We cannot allow the Sumnii to take over the galaxy./

Lixion swallowed down a lump that had formed in his throat at Zanthis' words. /We'll stop the Sumnii before that happens./

/We should keep contact to a minimum. Only contact me if it is extremely urgent./ Zanthis instructed and then closed his end of the bond.

Lixion opened his eyes and shook his head, a small smile forming on his face. "Zanthis, you're to strong-willed to fall into the control of the Sumnii."

Leaving his cabin, Lixion headed up the short corridor to the cockpit. The cockpit door slid open and Lixion walked over top the copilot's seat and sat down. "Where are we headed?"

Xanatos glanced briefly at Lixion and then looked back out the viewscreen. "We are going to Rinn, it's a planet far in the outer rim."

Lixion scowled, the planet was in totally the opposite direction to where he was supposed to go. "You are to take me to Ilum"

Xanatos raised an eyebrow and looked at Lixion. "Why do you want to go there? There's nothing there worth going for except for lightsaber crystals."

"I do need to build a new lightsaber." Lixion pointed out, staring out the viewport."

"That can wait." Xanatos responded. "I have spares in case you are in need of one."

"Then drop me off at the nearest planet and I'll find myself a ship to take me there?" Lixion told him, his voice firm and determined.

Xanatos sighed and shook his head. "You don't have any money to buy your own ship or get a pilot to take you their. Now only that, but I am sure that Darth Magnus will be searching for you. I have already changed the ID tags on the ship, so you don't have to worry about anyone identifying the ship."

Lixion frowned deeply and drummed his fingers on the armrests. There was silence for several minutes as Lixion stopped drumming his fingers on the armrests and stared at the stars that were streaking past the viewscreen. "You put your family at risk by bringing me with you. If you would just take me to Ilum, no one will be harmed."

"The Sith have not set foot on Rinn for many years. You will be safe there." Xanatos replied.

"There is also the Sumnii to worry about. They will be searching for me too and their search methods are far more harsh than the methods used by the Sith." Lixion warned. "Ilum is an isolated planet, making it the perfect place for me to lay low for awhile."

"We'll discuss this after we get to Rinn." Xanatos told him.

"Fine." Lixion responded, not pleased at all, and then stood up and left the cockpit.

* * *

"There have been reports from our intelligence networks that two more planets have fallen under attack. As of right now, no one has been able to figure out what led to these attacks or if there is any pattern." Dodonna reported. 

In the small conference room in the rebel base the Rebel high command, as well as Leia, Mara, Anakin, and Obi-Wan were sitting around a round conference table.

"The Sumnii are preparing to overthrow the Empire." Anakin told them in a sure voice.

Mon Mothma, Dodonna, Bail, Madine and Ackbar all looked at each other with baffled expressions on their faces for a few minutes before resuming a calm look.

"Why would the Sumnii overthrow the Empire? Since the beginning of the Empire there has been no hostility between them." Mon Mothma responded. "For all we know, it could be a scheme to bring any rebels out into the open."

"That could be what they want us to think. From our experience in a Sumnii controlled galaxy, we've seen how they can distort the truth to where people unknowingly aid them." Obi-Wan answered. "The real question is whether or not the Sumnii have control over the Empire yet."

"How would this information help us?" Bail asked.

Anakin slowly shook his head. "It won't. Once someone answers that question more questions will be raised. There is no distinguishable order in which the Sumnii do things. Any attempt to try to find a solid pattern will only have negative affects. Plus, we have to add in how the Sith and Empire are going to or are responding to the Sumnii."

Madine frowned and typed something into his datapad before looking back at the Jedi. "What do you propose we do then?"

Anakin and Obi-Wan briefly glanced at each other before Anakin answered them. "Disband the Rebellion."

The Rebel leaders looked at the Jedi in shock.

"You can't be serious!" Mon Mothma exclaimed.

"They are and I agree with them." Leia spoke up. "We can't fight the Empire, because the real threat is the Sumnii. We can't fight the Sumnii either because the Empire, as far as we know, don't consider them an enemy. We would play right into the hands of the Sumnii if we were to continue to attempt to topple the Empire in order to bring Democracy back." The best course of action for now is for everyone to return to their home system and monitor the situation. Convince your governments to implement some defensive plans and prepare theirselves to be able to aid refugees."

"We can't do to much to quickly. For now this course of action will be sufficient." Obi-Wan added. "While that is going on, Anakin and I will gather what Force sensitives we can find and set up a base somewhere. Once that's accomplished we'll plan our next steps."

Mon Mothma and the other rebel leaders were silent for a few minutes as they digested this information. Finally Mon Mothma spoke. "I don't fully agree with this plan, but it has merit. It will be difficult to convince the others to go along with this."

Madine frowned at Mon Mothma. "You're going to go along with this? We should discuss this more in depth before making a decision."

"Don't take to long." Mara interjected, speaking for the first time since the meeting began. "To much time is wasted in debates. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go pack my things."

Leia, Anakin, and Obi-Wan also excused themselves and left the room.


End file.
